Purulia arms drop case

Purulia arms drop case
Date17 December 1995
LocationPurulia, West Bengal, India
ParticipantsNiels Holck (Kim Davy), Peter Bleach, Latvian crew
ArrestsPeter Bleach, Latvian crew
ConvictedPeter Bleach, Latvian crew
ChargesUnauthorised arms drop
VerdictLife imprisonment (later pardoned and released)

The Purulia arms drop happened on 17 December 1995 when unauthorised arms were dropped from an Antonov An-26 aircraft in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal.[1][2] The chief accused "Kim Davy" (real name Niels Holck, alias Niels Christian Nielsen) has been vocal about his involvement in the arms drop. He asserts he tried to procure arms to protect members of Ananda Marga from communists and claims that it was a conspiracy of the Congress Indian government together with R&AW and MI5 to overthrow the communist government in West Bengal and he was given assurances from the central government about his safety and return to Denmark. He further alleges that MP Pappu Yadav, in association with the then Prime Minister of India P. V. Narasimha Rao facilitated his safe exit from India.[3][4] Niels Holck is author of the book De kalder mig terrorist (transl. They call me Terrorist). Niels Holck was involved in a 14-year journey from 1982 involved in community building projects like building schools in Guatemala, agricultural projects in Ananda Nagar, Purulia, India and attending tiger conferences in Russia. According to Holck, the Government of India at the time permitted arms drop operation for Ananda Marga to be able to protect its projects and people from the onslaught of Communists in Bengal. The Communists in Bengal had been targeting and killing people involved with Ananda Marga projects right from the 1970s, and this continued well into the 1990s.[5]

Background

A Latvian aircraft dropped a large consignment of arms including several hundred AK-47 rifles and more than sixteen thousand rounds of ammunition over a large area in Jhalda, Khatanga, Belamu, Maramu villages of Purulia district on the night of 17 December 1995.[6] Several days later, when the plane re-entered Indian airspace, it was intercepted by an Indian Air Force MiG-21 and forced to land in Mumbai.[7]

Motive and recipient

While the true motive is shrouded in mystery and conjecture, the BBC, after its investigation into it, alleged that arms were intended for the socio-spiritual organization Ananda Marga.[7] Niels Holck, who claims the central government itself was behind the arms drop to disrupt harmony and exterminate the CPI(M) supporters, has been vocal about his involvement in procurement of weapons to help protect the mission of Ananda Marga in Purulia from CPI(M).[8][5] Niels Holck (Kim Davy) has given numerous public interviews about his involvement in the arms drops and has asserted that he was compelled to procure arms to protect members of Ananda Marga with whom he had formed close friendships, working shoulder to shoulder on social service projects in Ananda Nagar, Purulia,[9][10][11] since the State of West Bengal and Government of India in 1995 were ineffective in curbing violence against Ananda Marga. He has said in all his public interviews and the documentary that the central government at the time and RAW supported this arms drop operation as destabilizing CPI(M) in West Bengal worked in the interest of the central government.

An Indian court in 1997 determined that the Ananda Marga group was indeed the intended recipient of the guns and ammunition.[12] Based on the pilot's testimony, along with other evidence such as a photograph of the Ananda Marga headquarters on the aircraft, the Judge ruled:[13] "as per the materials available I hold that it has been established from the materials on record that the places where the arms were targeted to be dropped were of Anandamargies and precisely three storied white building was the target point and at that target point the arms were tried to be dropped from a flying aircraft and the aircraft has been pin pointed as per the evidence and materials on record." However, despite the passage of years, many details of the incident are wrapped in mystery, and there has been considerable speculation as to the purpose and modality of the operation.

Arrest and sentencing

The crew of the aircraft consisted of five Latvian citizens and Peter Bleach, a British citizen and an ex Special Air Service operative turned mercenary who was based in Yorkshire and involved in arms dealing.[citation needed] (However, Annie Machon, the former MI5 officer, accuses Bleach of being an MI6 agent in her book "Spies, Lies and Whistleblowers". In numerous interviews, Bleach has always evaded questions on this subject and has declined to answer questions on his military background.[citation needed]) According to Bleach, he told Defence Export Services Organisation and local North Yorkshire Police Special Branch about the planned delivery of weapons to India in August 1995 as soon as he discovered it was illegal. He claimed that he continued to arrange to buy a plane from the Latvian state airline with police approval. However, North Yorkshire Police's Special Branch denied this.[7][14]

Peter Bleach and the Latvian crew were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment while alleged organiser Niels Christian Nielsen (aka Kim Peter Davy), a Danish citizen and member of the Ananda Marga group,[15] escaped. Later, an Interpol red notice was issued against him. Following the intervention of Russian authorities, the Latvian crew (who gained Russian citizenship while in Indian custody) were later pardoned and released in July 2000. An appeal has been submitted by the pilots lawyer before the Calcutta High Court in March 2000 challenging the trial results and the judgement but it is still pending. Peter Bleach, too, was released on 4 February 2004, via a presidential pardon, allegedly due to persistent British Government pressure.[16][17]

In 2007 Kim Davy was traced by Denmark authorities and on 9 April 2010 Danish government decided to extradite Kim Davy to India but Danish authorities failed to successfully defend their decision in the Danish high court. The court, therefore, refused extradition of Kim Davy to India. Further, Danish authorities decided not to appeal the high court judgement to the Supreme Court.[18]

Recent development

On 8 October 2008, the extradition of the key accused, Kim Davy, real name Niels Holck, was close to being finalized as the government had, in principle, agreed on giving "sovereign assurance" to the Danish authorities on their conditions, as well as bringing about some changes in the existing extradition law. One of the conditions Denmark had set included the waiving of the death penalty if Davy was convicted by a court for his involvement in the dropping of a huge cache of arms and ammunition from an aircraft in West Bengal in 1995.[19]

On 28 April 2011, Kim Davy came forward to allege that both the Indian government (Congress party) as well as its intelligence agency R&AW were aware of the precise details of the arms drop well in advance, and that the whole operation was conducted with the implicit agreement of the Indian authorities. Both Peter Bleach[citation needed] and Kim Davy claimed that the aim of the arms drop was to help anti Left government dissidents and to create a pretext to impose President's Rule in West Bengal.[20][8][21]

On 29 April 2011, Central Bureau of Investigation denied all allegations of involvement or collusion in the arms drop.[22] Questions have been raised if Kim Davy's 'sensational revelation' was aimed to stall the extradition efforts of India.[23][24][25] Some political analysts have also questioned the 'timing of the revelation' which may help the Left parties in the ongoing state government assembly elections.[26][27][28][29]

On 30 June 2011, Central Bureau of Investigation has been denied to extradite Kim Davy a.k.a. Niels Holck to India for further proceedings in India. The Danish High Court, after hearing evidence from Peter Bleach who described his personal experiences in prison in Kolkata, dismissed the plea on the grounds of "torture or other inhuman treatment".[30]

The Bangladeshi MP and retired Major-General Mohammed Shubid Ali Bhuiyan had been accused of involvement in the case.[31][32] The CBI had submitted to the Calcutta High Court two end-user certificates, required for international arms deals, allegedly signed by Bhuiyan in his capacity as the PSO of the Armed Forces Division of the office of the then prime minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia.[33] The certificates had been recovered by the British police, who assisted the CBI in the probe, in raids on Bleach's estate. One of the certificates – issued on 25 November 1995 – authorized Bleach's front company, Border Technology and Innovations Ltd, to conclude the contract with the Bulgarian suppliers stating that the arms will be used by the Bangladesh Army and will not be exported to any other country. The boxes containing the weapons, found in Purulia, had been marked for Rajendrapur Cantonment in Bangladesh.[34] However, the Government of Bangladesh as well as Bhuiyan has denied the allegations and maintain that the certificates were forged by Bleach's contacts in Bangladesh.[35]

In June 2014, Purulia arms drop case resurfaced with new revelations after the release of a Danish documentary The Arms Drop.[2][36][37]

In March 2015, a book titled The Night it Rained Guns: Unravelling the Purulia Arms Drop Conspiracy was released.[38][39]

References

  1. ^ "Purulia Expose: India's best kept secret". The Times of India.
  2. ^ a b "Purulia arms drop case resurfaces with new set of revelations". dna. 5 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Delhi okayed and done by Purulia arms drop: Davy". The Times of India. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Purulia arms drop had govt sanction: Davy". The Times of India.
  5. ^ a b "Purulia arms drop: Niels Holck aka Kim Davy tells his story". Hindustan Times. 4 May 2015.
  6. ^ Popham, Peter (6 March 2011). "Up in arms: The bizarre case of the British gun-runner, the Indian rebels and the missing Dane". The Independent.
  7. ^ a b c "Alleged gun runner's conspiracy claims". BBC Online. 23 July 1998. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Purulia Expose: India's best kept secret". The Times of India. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  9. ^ "The Arms Drop Trailer" – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Debate: The truth about Purulia-1" – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Debate: The truth about Purulia-2" – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Purulia arms case: Kim Davy is a terrorist, we will get him extradited, says CBI". The Economic Times. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  13. ^ "June 1997 Judgment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  14. ^ Up in arms: The bizarre case of the British gun-runner, the Indian rebels and the missing Dane, By Peter Popham, The Independent, 6 March 2011
  15. ^ The Day it Rained Arms in India, Chapter 2 of The Arms Fixers: Controlling the Brokers and Shipping Agents
  16. ^ "The release of Peter Bleach". Frontline. 27 February 2004. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Pardoned arms dealer back in UK". BBC Online. 6 February 2004. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Danish court decision on Kim Davy can encourage terrorists: India". The Times of India. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
  19. ^ Mohan, Vishwa; Subodh Ghildiyal (8 October 2008). "Purulia arms case: Govt agrees to waive death penalty". Indiatimes. New Delhi. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  20. ^ "India knew about Purulia arms drop: Accused". The Times of India. New Delhi. 31 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  21. ^ "Purulia arms drop was RAW op to destabilise Left govt, say accused". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 29 April 2011.
  22. ^ "No Indian government role in Purulia arms drop: CBI". iNewsOne.com. IANS. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.
  23. ^ "MI5, RAW jointly involved in Purulia arms drop, says Davy". The Pioneer. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011.
  24. ^ "No evidence against politicians in Purulia arms drop case - PTI". Moneycontrol.com. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  25. ^ "Purulia was RAW-MI5 operation to overthrow Basu: Bleach, Davy". The Times of India.
  26. ^ "Cong tars BJP, Left with same brush, IBN Live News". Ibnlive.in.com. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  27. ^ "Kim Davy interview at Timesnow".
  28. ^ "Peter Bleach, J. K. Dutt and Kim Davy interview-part II at Timesnow".
  29. ^ "Peter Bleach, J. K. Dutt and Kim Davy interview-part III at Timesnow".
  30. ^ Kumar, Vinay (30 June 2011). "Danish court says Davy cannot be extradited to India". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  31. ^ Roy, Anirban (15 December 2012). "Purulia armsdrop man to 'grace' Vijay Diwas event!". The Bengal Post.
  32. ^ "Armsdrop story returns to haunt AL MP". bdnews24.com. 15 December 2012.
  33. ^ "B' desh involved in Purulia arms dropping case: Report". Zee News. 30 December 2009.
  34. ^ Sharan, Abhishek (30 December 2009). "Bangladesh linked to arms drop in Purulia". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  35. ^ "Bangladesh had no link". The Daily Star. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  36. ^ "Danish documentary revisits the unsolved mystery of the 1995 Purulia arms drop".
  37. ^ "Purulia arms drop: Pappu Yadav ducks questions".
  38. ^ "Unravelling the Purulia arms drop conspiracy". Archived from the original on 11 March 2015.
  39. ^ "Did the CIA mastermind Purulia arms drop? (Book Review)". Business Standard India. 9 March 2015.
  40. ^ Arms Drop. dogwoof.com.

Read other articles:

Akinchi

Əkinçi (Akinchi)Halaman muka Akinchi, 1875TipeMingguanPemilikHasan bey ZardabiPemimpin redaksiHasan bey ZardabiDidirikan22 Juli 1875; 148 tahun lalu (1875-07-22)BahasaAzerbaijaniBerhenti publikasi29 September 1877PusatBaku, AzerbaijanSirkulasi surat kabar300-400 (1875) Akinchi (bahasa Azerbaijan: Əkinçi, اکينچی), sering dialihaksarakan sebagai Ekinchi (The Cultivator, Sang Penggarap atau Sang Pembajak), adalah koran berbahasa Azerbaijani yang pertama.[1] Terbit anta...

 

Penghargaan Grammy ke-51

Artikel ini perlu diterjemahkan dari bahasa Inggris ke bahasa Indonesia. Artikel ini ditulis atau diterjemahkan secara buruk dari Wikipedia bahasa Inggris. Jika halaman ini ditujukan untuk komunitas bahasa Inggris, halaman itu harus dikontribusikan ke Wikipedia bahasa Inggris. Lihat daftar bahasa Wikipedia. Artikel yang tidak diterjemahkan dapat dihapus secara cepat sesuai kriteria A2. Jika Anda ingin memeriksa artikel ini, Anda boleh menggunakan mesin penerjemah. Namun ingat, mohon tidak men...

 

John Deacon

John DeaconDeacon tampil bersama Queen di RDS Arena, Dublin pada 1979Informasi latar belakangLahir19 Agustus 1951Oadby, Leicester,  InggrisGenre Rock Jazz Pekerjaan Musisi Penulis lagu Instrumen Bass Gitar Keyboard Tahun aktif1965-1997, (pensiun)Artis terkaitQueenMan Friday & Jive JuniorThe ImmortalsMontserrat CaballeElton John John Richard Deacon (lahir 19 Agustus 1951) adalah seorang pensiunan musisi Inggris, yang dikenal sebagai pemain bass untuk band rock Queen. Dia menggubah beb...

List of statutory rules of Northern Ireland, 2022

List of Statutory Rules Part of a series onBritish law Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom Year      1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 18...

 

Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line

Railway route in India Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia main lineNetaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line passes through Bokaro CityOverviewStatusOperationalOwnerIndian RailwaysLocaleJharkhand, West BengalTerminiNSC Bose GomohHatiaServiceSystemDouble ElectrifiedOperator(s)East Central Railway, South Eastern RailwayRolling stockWAP-7 of Tatanagar shed and Howrah shed, WAP-4 of Howrah shed, WAM-4 of Tatanagar Shed and Bokaro Shed and WDM-3A of Bokaro shedHistoryOpened1961TechnicalLine length152 km ...

 

EM Strasbourg Business School

EM Strasbourg Business SchoolHistoireFondation 2007 issue de la fusion entre l'IECS créé en 1919 et de l'IAE de StrasbourgStatutType Ecole de commerceFondateur Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Strasbourg et du Bas-RhinPrésident Patrick HetzelDirecteur Babak MehmanpazirDevise Be distinctiveMembre de Université de Strasbourg, CGE[2], Réseau des IAE[3], AACSB, AMBA, EPAS, EQUIS[4]Site web www.em-strasbourg.comChiffres-clésÉtudiants 3 300Enseignants-chercheurs 90 enseignants-chercheur...

Occidental Petroleum

American oil company Occidental Petroleum CorporationCompany typePublic companyTraded asNYSE: OXYS&P 500 componentIndustryEnergy industryFoundedJune 1909; 114 years ago (1909-06)HeadquartersHouston, Texas, U.S.Key people Vicki Hollub, CEO & President Cedric W. Burgher, CFO Eugene L. Batchelder, Chairman ProductsChemical substancesProduction output3,512 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (21,490,000 GJ) per day (2021)Revenue US$26.314 billion (Fisc...

 

Oberlin College

Private college in Oberlin, Ohio, US Oberlin CollegeFormer namesOberlin Collegiate Institute(1833–1864)MottoLearning and LaborTypePrivate liberal arts collegeEstablishedSeptember 2, 1833; 190 years ago (1833-09-02)Academic affiliationsAnnapolis GroupCICCLACCOFHEFive Colleges of OhioGLCANAICU[1]Oberlin GroupEndowment$1.09 billion (2021)[2]PresidentCarmen Twillie AmbarAcademic staff327 (2017)[3]Students2,785 (2019)[3]LocationOberlin, Ohio, U.S...

 

约翰斯顿环礁

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2021年5月6日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 约翰斯顿环礁Kalama Atoll 美國本土外小島嶼 Johnston Atoll 旗幟颂歌：《星條旗》The Star-Spangled Banner約翰斯頓環礁�...

List of highways in Western Australia

This article is about highways in Western Australia separate from road routes that may make up the highways, and have been numbered separately as such. For highways as in the routes instead, see List of road routes in Western Australia. General highways map of Western Australia South Western Australia roads in detail Highways in Western Australia include both roads that are named as a highway, and roads that have been declared as a highway under the Main Roads Act 1930. The standard of highw...

 

Aung San Suu Kyi

Burmese politician and democracy activist (born 1945) In this Burmese name, the given name is Aung San Suu Kyi. There is no family name. Her ExcellencyDawAung San Suu Kyiအောင်ဆန်းစုကြည်Aung San Suu Kyi in 2013State Counsellor of MyanmarIn office6 April 2016 – 1 February 2021PresidentHtin KyawWin MyintPreceded byOffice establishedSucceeded byMin Aung Hlaing(as Chairman of the State Administration Council)Leader of the OppositionIn office2 May 2012 ...

 

Rotoscoping

Animation technique Rotographs redirects here. For the sports site, see RotoGraphs. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Rotoscoping – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Patent drawing for Max Fleischer's original rotoscope. The ar...

فيرخني أوفالي

فيرخني أوفالي    علم شعار الإحداثيات 56°03′00″N 60°14′00″E / 56.05°N 60.233333333333°E / 56.05; 60.233333333333   تاريخ التأسيس 1761  تقسيم إداري  البلد روسيا[1][2]  التقسيم الأعلى أوبلاست تشيليابنسك (9 فبراير 1944–26 أغسطس 2004)  خصائص جغرافية  المساحة 65 كيلومتر مر...

 

Chale

This article is about the village in England. For the municipality in Brazil, see Chalé. For the village in India, see Chale (Mulshi). Human settlement in EnglandChaleSt. Andrew's Church, ChaleChaleLocation within the Isle of WightArea8.9046 km2 (3.4381 sq mi) [1]Population639 (2011)[2]• Density72/km2 (190/sq mi)Civil parishChaleUnitary authorityIsle of WightCeremonial countyIsle of WightRegionSouth EastCountryEnglandSovereign...

 

طواف رواندا 2020

طواف رواندا 2020 تفاصيل السباقسلسلة23. طواف رواندامنافسةطواف إفريقيا للدراجات 2020 2.1‏مراحل8التواريخ23 فبراير – 01 مارس 2020المسافات889 كمالبلد رواندانقطة البدايةكيغالينقطة النهايةكيغاليالفرق16متوسط السرعة38٫29 كم/سالمنصةالفائز Natnael Tesfatsion [الإنجليزية]‏ (2020 فريق إرتريا لرك...

Palazzo Bortolan

Palazzo BortolanLocalizzazioneStato Italia LocalitàTreviso Informazioni generaliCondizioniin uso Usodestinazione culturale RealizzazioneProprietarioFondazione Cassamarca Committentefamiglia Bortolan Modifica dati su Wikidata · Manuale Palazzo Bortolan, anche noto come palazzo dell'Umanesimo Latino, è un palazzo situato nel centro storico di Treviso, in riviera Garibaldi, sede di molteplici attività culturali[1]. Indice 1 Storia 2 Descrizione 2.1 Esterno 2.2 Interno 3 Not...

 

Евдокимов, Сергей Владимирович

В Википедии есть статьи о других людях с такой фамилией, см. Евдокимов; Евдокимов, Сергей. Сергей Владимирович Евдокимов Дата рождения 26 сентября 1878(1878-09-26) Место рождения Севастополь, Российская империя Дата смерти 22 апреля 1960(1960-04-22) (81 год) Место смерти Нью-Йорк, США �...

 

Associazione Calcio Milano 1939-1940

Voce principale: Associazione Calcio Milan. AC MilanoStagione 1939-1940 Sport calcio Squadra Milano Allenatore József Bánás Direttore tecnico József Violak Presidente Achille Invernizzi Serie A8º Coppa ItaliaOttavi di finale Maggiori presenzeCampionato: Antonini, Boffi e Loik (30)Totale: Antonini (32) Miglior marcatoreCampionato: Boffi (24)Totale: Boffi (24) StadioSan Siro 1938-1939 1940-1941 Si invita a seguire il modello di voce Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti l...

Bernard Pons

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pons. Bernard Pons Bernard Pons en 1969. Fonctions Député français 12 juin 1997 – 18 juin 2002(5 ans et 6 jours) Élection 25 mai 1997 Circonscription 16e de Paris Législature XIe (Cinquième République) Groupe politique RPR Prédécesseur Pierre Rémond Successeur Françoise de Panafieu 23 juin 1988 – 18 juin 1995(6 ans, 11 mois et 26 jours) Élection 12 juin 1988 Réélection 28 mars 1993 Circonscription 16e de Paris Légi...

 

Jonathan Worth (governor)

American politician (1802–1869) Jonathan Worth39th Governor of North CarolinaIn officeDecember 15, 1865 – July 1, 1868Preceded byWilliam Woods HoldenSucceeded byWilliam Woods HoldenNorth Carolina State TreasurerIn office1863–1865GovernorWilliam Woods HoldenPreceded byDaniel W. CourtsSucceeded byWilliam SloanMember of the North Carolina SenateIn office1843Member of the North Carolina House of RepresentativesIn office1830–1843 Personal detailsBorn(1802-11-18)November 18, 18...