Government Should Clear Position On Purulia Arms Dropping Case

Date: 
Friday, January 12, 2001

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Government Should Clear Position On Purulia Arms Dropping Case

A systematic campaign of disinformation is being conducted about the situation in West Bengal. The BJP-Trinamul combine is busy purveying the propaganda that the CPI(M) in West Bengal is launching armed attacks on its opponent. Such reports get currency in a section of the media too. However, the BJP-led government at the Centre is actually covering up the biggest incident of arms smuggling into the country, ie, the Purulia arms drop which was meant to destabilise the state government. Is the unconcerned attitude of the Vajpayee government towards this serious case of breach of security, due to the fact that it was a Communist-led government which was targetted by an international conspiracy?

The Purulia arms air dropping case was the first of its kind in the country’s history. Five years ago the air dropping of large-scale arms in Purulia district in West Bengal took place in December 1995. 300 AK47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons were part of the consignment. Some of the main accused identified as Anand Margis are still at large. The key accused Kim Davy is still untraced.

The CBI investigations had clearly pointed to two things. Firstly, the arms were meant to be used against the Left Front government of West Bengal and, secondly, the involvement of the Anand Marg.

It was expected that the government of India would pursue such a case with such major national security implications seriously. Already at the request of the Russian government, the five Latvian crewmen of the plane who were sentenced have been released. Peter Bleach, a British citizen was the other person sentenced. It is reported that on the request of the British government, steps are being taken for pardoning him.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) would like the government of India to clarify what steps are being taken to apprehend the main culprits behind the arms drop.