Freed Indian fishermen return home

Five fishermen spared the death sentence in Sri Lanka and freed on Wednesday will take a longer route home than they may have thought. Their families in Tamil Nadu returned disappointed this morning from an airport after learning that the men would be flown to Delhi first.

The five - who haven’t seen their families for three years - are being brought from Colombo to the capital for a debriefing by the Intelligence Bureau, say sources.

The delayed reunion of the men with their families has drawn sharp criticism against the central government.

“The BJP is trying to claim credit for the return of the fishermen and score over Tamil Nadu political parties,” alleged MH Jawaharullah, an opposition legislator who represents Rameshwaram, where the fishermen live. He had also gone to the airport with the fishermen’s families.

Their sentence was commuted by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday and they were handed over to Indian officials in Colombo.

The Indian government had challenged the conviction in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court and over the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to President Rajapaksa on the phone.