THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “On September 14, we will appear before the court again. It has been more than two years. But, so far, nothing has happened in my case. During the last hearing on July 20, just one witness appeared. They have been dilly-dallying on the matter for sometime,” says Praveen, a 27-year-old sailor cadet from Pathanapuram in Kollam, who has been stranded in a Kenyan Jail.
While Keralites across the globe are celebrating Onam, this youngster has been waiting with bated breath in a Kenyan prison as his fate would be decided on Wednesday. He’s among the two Indian sailors stranded there. The hearing of their case comes up before the court on Wednesday. They were among a nine-member crew of Iranian merchant vessel MV Amin Darya which was taken into custody by the Kenyan security agencies in July 2014 at the port of Mombasa on suspicion of trafficking drugs. Praveen and Vikas Balwan of Haryana, along with six Pakistani crew, including the captain of the vessel, and an Iranian crew member, are currently in jail.
Jailed at Kenya’s Shima La Tewa Prison in Mombasa, Praveen had told Express that they have not been getting support from the ship officials. The vessel was taken into custody by the Kenyan Navy after drugs were found from its diesel tank. Though the embassy officials visit the jail at times, so far the duo haven’t got bail. His family back home has been knocking at all doors for long.