UAPA for 28 Somali pirates

Considering the international ramifications of the case, the police have booked the 28 Somali pirates arrested last week under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The Indian Coast Guard and the Navy handed them over to the Mumbai police on Thursday morning.

“We have registered an FIR against the arrested pirates and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA,” said deputy commissioner of police (port zone) Quaisar Khalid.

The UAPA is usually evoked in terror-related cases. Apart from it, the police are also thinking of involving the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the probe, as the arrested pirates are from a different country.

Defence minister AK Antony had said some time ago that pirates operating in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) may be getting the help of some terrorist outfits active in Asia. The NIA is the only exclusive counter-terrorism agency in India, and so the police are considering involving the agency.

In a major operation, the navy and the coast guard had arrested 28 Somali pirates off the Lakshadweep coast last week. The forces had to hand them over to the city police to be tried under the Indian Penal Code because of a lack of anti-piracy laws in the country.

However, there seems to be hope for security agencies. “The anti-piracy law is already at the drafting stage,” said inspector general of the coast guard SPS Basra, while addressing the media before handing over the pirates to the Yellow Gate police.

It is estimated that three piracy attack groups are still active close to the Indian
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Basra informed.

“A rise in instances of pirate attacks close to the Indian EEZ is a matter of great concern. Positions of the PAG are being monitored closely. Merchant vessels are regularly advised to keep clear of the affected areas and use the best management practices against pirate attacks.”

Commodore G Ashok Kumar said, “We envisaged that ‘Operation Island Watch’, an anti-piracy operation launched in mid-December 2010, would last at most for a month. But the recent incidents have made it inevitable that the deadline be extended to March 31. Considering the success of this operation, it may be extended further.”