After over three weeks of ordeal, Indian documentary filmmaker Vijay Kumar, who was arrested in the US when brass knuckles and ‘jihadi literature’ were found in his baggage, has left the country on “voluntary departure”.
Sources said Kumar, who is travelling to India via Canada, will soon reach his country. He left Houston on “voluntary departure” late on Monday night, they said.
Without confirming his Canada visit, Kumar’s lawyer, Roger Jain told PTI that the filmmaker is out of Houston and the United States for now.
Kumar’s departure marks an end to the tumultuous few weeks for him during which he was arrested and jailed for over 20 days.
Pradip Parekh, a spokesman for the Hindu Congress of America, which invited Kumar to the US, said Kumar wanted to go home and out of the country as soon as possible.
“It’s so outrageous, and hard to swallow that Indian government didn’t do much to secure his freedom earlier, despite the fact that it promises in the Indian passport that it will take care of its citizens in any country,” he said.
He hoped that appropriate action would be taken to ensure that such an event did not occur again.
Kumar was convicted of illegally carrying brass knuckles in his checked-in airport baggage. He pleaded “no contest” to a misdemeanour weapons charge in exchange for time served and so he could be returned to India soon.