Government Hand In Purulia Arms Drop Case

In explosive revelations in the Purulia arms drop case, prime accused Kim Davy, Thursday, claimed that the entire operation to smuggle in huge quantities of arms and ammunition was carried out with the implicit approval of the top most echelons of power in India.

Davy, who is known by many aliases, had played an active role in the infamous incident in which a large consignment of arms, including several hundred AK-47 rifles, and ammunition was dropped from a Latvian aircraft on the night of December 17, 1995 in West Bengal's Purulia district.

Before the aircraft could leave Indian airspace it was intercepted by the Indian Air Force and forced to land in Mumbai. However, Davy managed to escape from the airport under mysterious circumstances while the others in the aircraft - five Latvian citizens and Peter Bleach, an ex-Special Air Service operative and British intelligence officer - were arrested and tried in court.

They were sentenced to life imprisonment; all were, however, released subsequently.

The Indian government had been looking for Davy and after it came to light that he was in Denmark, a formal extradition request was forwarded to the Danish authorities.

Speaking to a Indian news channel, Davy said that he has decided to come out with his story now as he fears that he would be extradited to India and treated as a terrorist when the whole operation was planned by powerful people from within India.

He said that India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, knew everything about the operation and had worked in tandem with British agency MI5.

“There was communication between RAW and MI5. RAW knew everything. The cargo, the drop plan, the location,” Davy said.

“Who will fly to India from Pakistan without clearance? It is unthinkable,” he added, while also revealing that he was called to Karachi on December 16, a day prior to the arms drop, and told that he will have to finish the job within 48 hours otherwise the “window” would get closed.

To authenticate his claims, Davy said that the subsequent court case had proved that the military radar meant to keep track of the aircraft’s flight path was switched off that night on orders from RAW.

“What I am saying is just the logical explanation, don’t take my word,” he quipped.

Revealing more explosive information, he said prior and immediately after the arms drop he was in touch with a Member of Parliament, who in turn told him that the PMO was in the loop.

“I was helped out of the Mumbai airport. Then I was brought to Delhi and then over the land border to Nepal in the back seat of a MP’s car. I was taken in a convoy; people with AK-47s were in cars in front and the rear. I was being whisked away by people who had the power to do it.”

On the motive behind the entire operation, Davy said that the arms were meant for self protection. “It was against state sponsored Communist terror and violence perpetrated by CPI (M).”

He said, “I came from an affluent part of the world and on visiting West Bengal was touched by the poverty and appalling conditions. I worked 15 years for the poor people of West Bengal…I saw my own friends being killed…we had to defend ourselves that was the whole background.”

Later adding: “There were political forces in Delhi who wanted to further their political interest. The design was to ensure President’s Rule in West Bengal. So people were armed.”

Davy said that he would come out with more details about the sensational case within a few days.

The other personae dramatis in the case, Peter Bleach, has also come out in support of Davy and claimed that the Indian government was behind the job and the entire purpose of the operation was to destabilise the Communist government in West Bengal.

Whatever may be the truth behind the controversial case, subsequent governments, indeed, have been guarded about the entire sequence of events, and even a RTI query on the issue was turned down.

Reacting to the development, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat sought an explanation from the Centre.