Indian navy hands over 35 captured pirates from Somalia to Mumbai
Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where piracy has resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade.
India cargo ship Ruen last week, three months after it was hijacked off the Somali coast.
Taking advantage of Western forces’ focus on protecting shipping from attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants, pirates have made or attempted more than 20 hijackings since November, driving up insurance and security costs and adding to a crisis for global shipping companies.
With the attacks by the Houthis, who claim solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, and the surge in piracy, commercial traffic through the region has halved since November as ships take the longer route around southern Africa, India’s navy said.
The pirates seized by Indian commandoes face up to life in prison as the first to be prosecuted under India’s 2022 antipiracy law, which enables the navy to apprehend and arrest pirates on the high seas.
The Somalis were using the Ruen as their “mother ship” to launch attacks on other vessels, navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar told a press conference marking the 100th day of the operations. The commandoes rescued all 17 crew members.
India has responded to 18 incidents, deploying 21 ships and 5,000 personnel in rotation, boarding and investigating over 1,000 vessels, the navy said. Its unprecedented presence has deployed more than a dozen warships some days.
Former Ambassador of India to the United States,
who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier this week, is likely to be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls from his hometown Amritsar in Punjab. The 61-year-old former diplomat, who retired from government service in February this year, has worked closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key deals, including the $3 billion predator drones and the General Electric Aerospace-Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) agreements. In an interview with
Sandhu talks about what inspired him to join politics.
Edited excerpts.
I would not really say it’s coming into politics, it’s public service. I think diplomats are also from public service. In the last four years, the relationship between India and the US has become more of a partnership in several areas, like semiconductors... we are also jointly producing GE engines for the Indian Air Force. So, I feel that Amritsar, which is my hometown, should be part of this success story.
History has had a lot of foreign service officers joining politics. I think each one has played a different role. I think somewhere everybody has contributed something. In particular, I want to contribute to my home city and state and ensure that its residents also get the advantage of the economic resurgence of the world. If you look at International Monetary Fund and World Bank projections, it’s quite clear that India will be playing a major role. There are a lot of opportunities for youngsters in Amritsar and Punjab.
I’ve worked with him for the last 10 years, and he has inspired me... That’s why I feel that many of these good schemes, positive schemes can be brought to Amritsar, which will help in integration of the country’s development with Punjab.
See, as I told you, public service is public service, but you do have a point. Since my focus is to help people, I am taking the Lok Sabha route and actually reaching out to the people. I am trying to communicate to them what one has been part of, in delivering in Bharat as well as the United States. And that’s what I’m trying to deliver in Amritsar, because I have extensive contacts over the years...