India to raise issue of extradition of Purulia arms case conspirator Kim Davy during Danish PM's visit

The Danish PM will be on a three-day state visit to India from Oct 9, during which she will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also call on President Ram Nath Kovind.

“As regards the Kim Davy issue, we are focused on that; It has been on the agenda, we have raised it in the past, and we remain engaged with Denmark on this issue, and our discussions are ongoing on the subject,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, adding that he did not want to prejudge the conversation between PM Modi and his Danish counterpart before it takes place.

In September last year, PM Modi had raised the issue of extradition of Kim Davy or Niels Holck during the virtual summit with Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen.

The case relates to the incident on the night of Dec 17, 1995, when an AN-26 aircraft dropped a huge cache of arms and ammunition in West Bengal's Purulia district. Davy, a Danish citizen and the prime accused in the case, had escaped, while the others involved had been arrested.

Speaking on the visit of the Danish PM, the spokesperson said that it is a very important visit, as it is the first visit at the level of Head of State or Head of Government, that is happening since the Covid19 restrictions were imposed in March last year.

“We are looking forward to this visit, it is a very important occasion,” he said.

During the Virtual Summit held on Sept 28, 2020, India and Denmark had established a ‘Green Strategic Partnership’.

The visit by the Danish PM will give both sides an opportunity to discuss the entire gamut of bilateral relations and review the progress in implementation of the ‘Green Strategic Partnership’. Both sides will also discuss regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

India and Denmark have strong trade and investment ties. More than 200 Danish companies are present in India and over 60 Indian companies have a presence in Denmark.

There exists strong collaboration in the fields of renewable energy, clean technologies, water and waste management, agriculture and animal husbandry, science & technology, digitisation including ICT, smart cities, shipping, etc, an official statement said.

The Danish PM, who arrives early on Saturday, will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi later that morning. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who had met her in Copenhagen in early September, will also call on her.