Purulia arms drop case accused Kim Davy extradition soon? MEA says legal process underway

In a major development amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Denmark, sources have now confirmed that India is discussing Kim Davy's extradition with the Danish government. However, India is currently tight-lipped on the extradition case and the Ministry of External Affairs is silent on the extradition timeline.

Earlier in a sensational development in the case, India on February 23 had won the extradition of Danish national Kim Davy - the key conspirator of the high-profile and mysterious Purulia arms drop case of 1995. As per sources, Denmark had also sent its teams to Kolkata to decide on Davy's repatriation. However, the extradition is yet to be done and the MEA had earlier confirmed that the "legal process was on".

Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra on Kim Davy

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra. also chose against commenting on the extradition case. Speaking to the media, Kwatra said that the legal process was underway. “The prime accused in the Purulia arms drop case is an issue which is a subject matter of legal process between the two countries and those processes are currently underway. It would be incorrect for me to make any comments with regard to those processes," he said.

It is noteworthy that PM Modi is the first prime minister of India to embark on a bilateral visit to Denmark in the past two decades. Earlier in 2012, New Delhi had scaled down its diplomatic ties with Copenhagen as a mark of protest over the Danish government’s decision to refuse the Supreme Court appeal against the decision of the lower court rejecting a plea for the extradition of Kim Davy alias Niels Holck to India. The extradition case was also brought up by India during Denmark's PM Mette Frederiksen's three-day visit to India last year.

The Purulia arms drop case

India has been demanding the extradition of Kim Davy from Denmark to witness court procedures in the Purulia ammunition dropping case. The case relates to the dropping of arms and ammunition in West Bengal's Purulia district by an Antonov AN-26 aircraft on the night of 17 December 1995. During the period, Davy was involved in humanitarian work for the people of the region, which at that time was governed by the Communist Party of India.

Allegations enumerate a consignment of over a hundred AK-47 rifles, pistols and grenades, rockets launchers and nearly thousands of rounds of ammunition. Furthermore, Indian authorities claimed Kim Davy's involvement in the smuggling of weapons into the country. In fact, a book authored by Davy titled 'They Call Me A Terrorist' contained his admissions that he made weapons drop from an aircraft bought in Latvia. 

(With agency inputs, Image: Republic)