MUMBAI: In a dare-devil operation the commandos flying yesterday in a helicopter from Indian Navy ship INS Gomti foiled attempts by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden to hijack the Indian merchant ship, Jag Arnav, according to reports received by the Western Naval Command (WNC) headquarters in Mumbai.
The report mentioned that the Indian merchant ship was 60 nautical miles east of Aden when the Somali pirates tried to seize it. The captain of the ship sent alarm signals, which were picked up by another Indian warship INS Tabar patrolling in the vicinity. The ship owned by Great Eastern Shipping Company was cruising toward India from an African port, when the pirates tried to board it and hijack it.
Soon marine commandos on Indian warship INS Gomti flew toward the merchant ship in a helicopter and fired on the Somali pirates, who then fled from the scene. The ship was then escorted to safety by INS Tabar.
Indian Navy officials said that the action is a strong signal to the heavily armed Somali pirates who have menaced merchant shipping in the area for the past several months, and once again established the Indian Navy’s “blue water” capabilities. The successful operation also marks a first for the Indian Navy as it was specifically deployed in the region in the wake of continued hijacks of Indian ships and their crew.
“This timely and successful intervention led to the pirates aborting their attempt,” navy’s statement said. The Indian Navy last month sent warships to the Gulf of Aden - one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes - on an anti-piracy patrol to protect Indian vessels during passage between Oman and Yemen.
In another development here, opposition party leaders boycotted the all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday evening. The chief minister’s attempts to reach a consensus over the simmering Marathi versus non-Marathi issue were foiled after Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party opposition decided to boycott the all-party meeting organized by Deshmukh.
The meeting was necessitated following attacks on north Indians, a fallout of the anti-north Indians tirade launched by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). After MNS chief Raj Thackeray had raised the issue of “Marathi persons”, there were political overturns all over the state with some parties coming in support of the north-Indians, and others singing the tunes of MNS.
Deshmukh had called for the meeting to settle the air. However, the opposition decided to stay away, stating that they were not invited. “If the government wants us to agree that the law and order situation in the state is sound, then why should we attend such a meeting? Moreover, we were not officially invited,” said leader of the opposition and Sena leader Ramdas Kadam.
Sena legislator Subash Desai said, “It is true that we boycotted the all-party meeting, because the state government must first decide what they want to say and do. The chief minister must control his party people and ask them not to make inflammatory comments.”
