CPI-M for judicial probe into Purulia arms drop
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The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Thursday demanded a judicial probe into the Purulia arms drop of 1985 and the extradition from Denmark of the main suspect Kim Davy.
"It is absolutely essential in the interests of India's security to ensure that this extradition happens and Davy is produced before the Indian courts and is duly punished," the party said in a statement.
"It is equally important that the various lapses that have occurred must be investigated and all questions concerning the complicity of the then Congress Central government and the circumstances leading to the presidential pardon to (co-accused) Peter Bleach by the then BJP-led NDA government must be unambiguously answered," it said.
"This must be done by immediately constituting a judicial enquiry into all these circumstances." On the night of December 17-18, 1995, deadly weapons were air dropped near the Anandmarg headquarters in Purulia district of West Bengal. These included 500 AK-47s and 15 lakh rounds of ammunition and other deadly weapons. Most of these were recovered, according to official submissions. Davy, now in Denmark, was partnered by Bleach, who is supposed to have procured the arms. Davy has recently claimed in a television interview that the then Indian government allowed the arms dropping to happen.
The CPI-M pointed out that "what is worse is the fact that after the plane was intercepted after the arms were dropped, and was forced to land in Mumbai, Davy was simply allowed to walk free". "His partner Bleach along with the six-member Latvian crew of the aircraft were initially arrested and detained. While the crew was later released, Bleach was tried and sentenced for life-imprisonment. "In a bizarre and unexplained manner, the BJP-led government decided to release Bleach under a presidential pardon," it said.
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