The Indian Navy carried out 18 rescue ops in the Arabian Sea since mid-December under its Operation Sankalp, launched after attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman in June 2019.

The Navy has been responding to the manifestation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the maritime domain, especially in the Red Sea corridor – one of the world’s busiest cargo and oil transit points – since December 2023.

The Navy responded to at least 18 incidents between December 2023 and March 2024 and played a pivotal role as the “first responder” and the “preferred security partner” in the Indian Ocean Region, it said in a statement. During this period, the Navy came to the aid of several nations as the menace of pirate attacks in this major trade route was compounded by drone and missile strikes.

How Navy Secured A Pirate Mother Ship

Pirates hijacked a Malta-flagged cargo vessel with the call sign Ruen on December 14, 2023. An SOS was sent out by the crew onboard and the Navy began tracking it as soon as it was indicated that six pirates had illegally boarded it in the Arabian Sea.

It deployed a warship on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden to locate and assist the seized vehicle.

#IndianNavy has responded to the manifestation of Israel – Hamas conflict in the maritime domain by re-orienting & significantly enhancing the scope of its ongoing #maritimesecurityoperations since mid-Dec 23. The navy undertook proactive actions during the hijacking of Malta… pic.twitter.com/r5dNiW6PN4

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 23, 2024

Soon it was indicated that a crew of the vessel had been injured. The Navy launched a rescue op and evacuated the injured sailor from the vessel within four days. He was then flown to Oman for treatment.

However, the pirates overtook control of MV Ruen and steered it towards the Somalian coast.

Since then, at least a dozen warships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden and the northern Arabian Sea to assist vessels east of the Red Sea, where the navies of several countries, including the US, are trying to secure the route from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Since the hijacking, the Navy kept the region under “continuous surveillance activities”, using aerial platforms and other vessels to gather information and monitor the region.

Several days and three months later, MV Ruen was spotted off the Somali coast on March 14, information came in from the British maritime security firm Ambrey.

The pirates converted the bulk carrier into a mothership to attack other ships. On March 15, the Indian Navy re-routed its warship INS Kolkata to intercept it. INS Kolkata sailed over 2,600 km and cornered the vessel the next morning.

Forty hours later, the Navy forced 35 Somali pirates to surrender and rescued 17 crew members held hostage on the hijacked ship.

The high-stakes op involved multiple Navy vessels, drones, aircraft, and marine commandos. 

INS Subhadra – a patrol vessel, High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE RPA) drones, and P8I maritime patrol aircraft joined forces to help INS Kolkata take control of the pirate mother-ship.

A squad of eight marine commandos (MARCOS PRAHARs) were airdropped by a C-17 aircraft onto the vessel to detain the pirates and safely evacuate the crew. No injuries were reported during the audacious operation.

Navy To The Rescue Of Pakistani Nationals

Days after INS Kolkata’s operation, the Navy rescued 23 Pakistani nationals from a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel “Al-Kambar 786”.

INS Sumedha intercepted the fishing vessel in the early hours of March 29 and was subsequently joined by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul.

#IndianNavy Responds to Piracy Attack in the #ArabianSea.

Inputs received on a potential piracy incident onboard Iranian Fishing Vessel ‘Al-Kambar’ late evening on #28Mar 24, approx 90 nm South West of Socotra.
Two Indian Naval ships, mission deployed in the #ArabianSea for… pic.twitter.com/PdEZiCAu3t

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 29, 2024

A distress call was sent out by the vessel on March 28 approximately 90 nautical miles southwest of Socotra – an island of Yemen in the Indian Ocean – when nine armed pirates reportedly boarded it.

Successful Anti-Piracy Operation by the #IndianNavy.
After successfully forcing surrender of the nine armed pirates, #IndianNavy‘s specialist teams have completed sanitisation & seaworthiness checks of FV Al-Kambar.
The crew comprising 23 Pakistani nationals were given a thorough… https://t.co/APEyIWmU9e pic.twitter.com/c6TbfL4Jrc

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 30, 2024

After over 12 hours of “intense coercive tactical measures”, the Navy forced the pirates on board the hijacked FV to surrender. The crew, comprising 23 Pakistani nationals, have been safely rescued,” it added.

The Navy saved 110 lives, including of 45 Indians, in the 100 days starting December 14, 2023. More than 90 maritime incidents have happened, including 57 drone or missile attacks or sightings and 39 incidents of piracy, hijacking, and suspicious approaches between November last year and March.

In Maharashtra’s Baramati, a historic showdown awaits as the splintered National Congress Party (NCP) gears up for a unique ‘Pawar vs Pawar’ contest in Supriya Sule, daughter of the party’s patriarch Sharad Pawar, going up against Sunetra Pawar, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Baramati, in Pune district, has evolved over the years from facing devastating famines into a thriving hub of agriculture, industry, and commerce. Decades of Pawar family dominance have shaped the political narrative of this region. The Pawar family’s influence has been integral to this transformation, with Sharad Pawar’s political career tracing back to the 1960s when he first won in this constituency.

Schism In The Family

The emergence of two factions within the NCP, led by Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar, has set the stage for a dramatic electoral showdown. The NCP’s founding faction has nominated Supriya Sule, 54, while Sunetra Pawar, 60 and Ms Sule’s sister-in-law, has entered the fray as the candidate representing the rival faction.

On July 2 last year, Ajit Pawar, accompanied by eight NCP MLAs, aligned with the Eknath Shinde administration, prompting a fracture within the NCP party ranks. The division within the NCP has left voters and party workers with a choice between two Pawars.

“It will be a very tough choice for voters and party workers to choose between two Pawars. It is a contest they would never have imagined before July 2 last year,” said Madan Devkate, a local leader, as quoted by news agency PTI.

Since the 1960s, the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, encompassing Baramati, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor, and Khadakwasla assembly seats, has served as Sharad Pawar’s stronghold.

Ajit Pawar has represented Baramati as an MLA since 1991, and had registered a resounding victory in 2019 by securing an astonishing 83 per cent of the vote share.

Supriya vs Sunetra

The Baramati Lok Sabha constituency consists of six assembly segments: Baramati town, Indapur, Daund, Purandar, Bhor, and Khadakwasla.

Within these segments, the Congress holds sway over Bhor and Purandar, while Baramati and Indapur have historically favoured the NCP (prior to its division). The BJP holds influence in Daund and Khadakwasala.

In the 2019 elections, Supriya Sule clinched her third consecutive win in the Baramati constituency under the NCP banner.

NCP (SP) – the Sharad Pawar faction, a member of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, will vie for 10 seats in Maharashtra, a state with 48 Lok Sabha seats. Baramati’s polls are scheduled for the third phase on May 7.

For Sule, aged 54, this marks her debut in a Lok Sabha election where the NCP’s support base will be divided between followers of her father and her cousin. While Sule relies on the allegiance of the Pawar Clan’s supporters and her track record as a Lok Sabha representative, Ajit Pawar can garner additional backing from Shiv Sena cadres under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s leadership, as well as the BJP.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Kanchan Kul, wife of Daund MLA Rahul Kul, suffered defeat to Ms Sule by a margin of over 1.55 lakh votes.

Ms Sule’s victory margin in Baramati during her debut Lok Sabha contest in 2009 was 3,36,831 against BJP nominee Kanta Nalawade. This margin decreased to 69,719 in 2014 when Rashtriya Samaj Paksha leader Mahadev Jankar contested against her. In 2019, Ms Sule’s vote tally surged to 6,86,714 with a vote share of 52.63%, securing victory by over 1.55 lakh votes.

Sunetra Pawar is the second member of Ajit Pawar’s family to contest Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, Ajit’s son Parth contested from the Maval seat in Pune district but was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Barne.

Sunetra Pawar hails from a politically active family in Marathwada. She is the sister of Padamsinh Patil, a former minister who initially belonged to the Congress but later joined Sharad Pawar’s NCP in 1999.

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