UK High Commissioner to take up Bleach’s release with Advani, Jaswant

Subrata Nagchoudhury

Kolkata, May 27: The British High Commissioner in India will meet Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh next week regarding the Government’s stand on former British army officer and prime accused in the Purulia arms-drop case, Peter Bleach, who has been held captive in a Kolkata jail, Deputy High Commissioner Dr John Mitchiner told mediapersons yesterday afternoon after visiting Bleach at the Alipore Presidency Jail.

Bleach, along with five Russian and Latvian crew members, was arrested following an abortive air dropping operation in Purulia district of West Bengal in December 1995. Around 300 AK-47, a number of rocket launchers and a huge cache of ammunition were dropped from a plane flying low over the Ananda Marg (a religious organisation) headquarters in Purulia.

The arms dropped in wooden containers got scattered all over the place and were picked up by the villagers who later handed them over to the police.
Bleach and the five Latvians were convicted by a Kolkata court for allegedly conspiring to wage a war against the state with a view to overthrow the Marxists government.

Mitchiner said the British Government was ‘‘impatient’’ about the Indian Government’s silence after British Foreign Minister Robin Cook formally requested Bleach’s release in December last year. ‘‘The Indian Government is yet to respond to the letter. The British Government wanted equality of treatment for Bleach after the five Latvians accused in the same case were released,’’ Mitchiner said. ‘‘We are very disappointed at the silence.’’
Mitchiner also held a long discussion with Bleach inside the jail superintendent’s office. ‘‘He is in good spirits, though he had had health problems. Bleach has already completed a five and half year term and life is not easy in Presidency jail,’’ he said.

He explained that while Russian President Vladimir Putin had sought clemency for the Latvians, ‘‘it is not in keeping with our tradition that the British Prime Minister should also step in. We hope that will not be necessary’’.

The diplomatic pressure for Bleach’s release comes at a crucial time as the Supreme Court in a notice issued to the Centre on April 30 said the Home Ministry should either grant remission to Bleach or reject the petition within six weeks.

Deepak Prahladka, a Kolkata resident in with Bleach had filed a prayer before the President in August last year, seeking remission for Bleach. The President had forwarded the plea to the Home Ministry. But when it did not respond, Prahladka moved the Supreme Court. The six-week time granted by the apex court to the Ministry expires on June 15.

Asked if there was any possibility of Bleach serving the sentence in Britain after he was released from the Indian jail, Mitchiner said: ‘‘I feel Bleach has been sufficiently punished.’’