New Delhi, Apr 29 (ANI): The latest expose in the 1995 Purulia arms drop case has triggered off a controversy with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left Party demanding that the government should disclose the classified documents relating to key accused Kim Davy and the huge consignment of arms he dropped in West Bengal's Purulia District.
The developments came after accused Kim Davy claimed that he had full support from Indian security agencies and politicians to carry out the audacious arms drop and that he was allowed to violate Indian air space.
The Congress Party accused Left Parties especially the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of inaction in taking follow-up steps after Purulia arms drop case after key accused Kim Davy and Peter Bleach on Thursday claimed the arms drop was aimed at destabilising the Left Front Government in Bengal "so that President's rule could be declared and the CPM government disposed of", and that British spy agency MI5 and India's external spy agency RAW were involved in it.
"Four to five months after the incident occured, the United Front which was backed by the Left parties was in power at the Centre and CPI leaders Indrajit Gupta was the Union Home Minister. We would like to know what persons like Karat, Yechury, Gurudas Dasgupta did when Indrajit Gupta was the Home Minister," said Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said: "BJP has not explained why it gave Presidential pardon to Bleach and allowed him to go. BJP has to answer to the nation why it did not take Bleach's case to the logical conclusion despite the fact that he had committed treason."
The BJP, however, denied the accusation that Bleach was let free during the rule of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre.
"When were the arms dropped? Narasimha Rao Government was there... As far as Bleach is concerned, he was convicted to five or seven years in jail. He was released later. This in no ways explains or justifies that it was collusion between two intelligence agencies and the Indian government encouraged it to destabilise a democratically elected government," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.
"We may have our reservations about the Left government in West Bengal but how can the government permit collusion between two intelligence agencies to permit arms drop intended to destabilise a democratically elected government? If this claim is true, it is very depressing, disturbing, and deeply condemnable," he added.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said: "All investigation at that time showed that this was a conspiracy which had international ramifications and an internal dimension. It was a political game to destabilise the Left Front government by many forces."
"Government should explain why when the British intelligence informed them and this was confirmed by Peter Bleach (who was sentenced in the case), no action was taken to stop it," he added.
Speaking to Times Now on Thursday, Davy said: "Of course there were Indians involved...there had been for years MPs who had seen atrocities committed against the people of Purulia and 24 MPs had signed the petition to the President to intervene to try to protect these people; nothing happened, and finally the Central government saw and approved plans to arm the defence of these innocent people."
The Purulia arms drop case involved unauthorised arms being dropped from an Antonov An-26 aircraft in Purulia district of West Bengal on December 17, 1995.
A Latvian aircraft dropped a large consignment of arms including several hundred AK-47 rifles and more than a million rounds of ammunition over a large area in Jhalda, Ghatanga, Belamu, Maramu villages of Purulia district on the night of 17 December 1995.
Several days later, when the plane re-entered Indian airspace, it was intercepted by the Indian Air Force MiG-21 and forced to land in Mumbai. (ANI)
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