Will find attackers of merchant navy ships even from depths of seas: Rajnath

India asserts itself as net security provider in Indian Ocean, vows to hunt down attackers on merchant vessel, but stays away from US-led operation in Red Sea

India on Tuesday asserted itself as the net security provider to the entire Indian Ocean region, even as it so far refrained from formally joining the coalition of navies the United States put together to deal with the recent attacks on the commercial cargo vessels in and around the Red Sea.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh vowed to bring to justice the perpetrators of the recent attacks on the MV Chem Pluto and MV Sai Baba, two merchant vessels with 25 and 21 Indians among the members of the crew, in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea respectively. The Indian Navy deployed its guided missile destroyers and long-range reconnaissance aircraft in the wake of the attacks on the merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea.

India, however, has not yet committed assets for the “Operation Prosperity Guardian” that the US has launched to deal with the drone strikes by the Houthi militants based in Yemen on the commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. A source in New Delhi told DH that India was keen to avoid being caught up in the conflict in West Asia.

Singh on Tuesday said that the Government of India had taken the recent drone attacks on MV Chem Pluto and the MV Sai Baba “very seriously”. “The Indian Navy has stepped up the vigil on the sea. Whoever has carried out this attack, we will hunt them down even if we have to go down to the depth of the ocean. Those behind the attacks would be brought to justice,” the defence minister said in Mumbai. He also said that India's growing economic and strategic power had drawn jealousy and hatred from some forces.

With New Delhi keen to avoid straining its ties with Tehran, Singh, however, avoided lending any credence to the US allegation that the drone, which had struck MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea, had been fired from Iran.

Iran already dismissed the allegation by the US Department of Defence.

Singh also refrained from blaming the Houthis, based in Yemen and backed by Iran, for the attack on the MV Sai Baba and other merchant vessels in the Red Sea.

“India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean Region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region touches greater heights. For this, together with our friendly countries, we will keep the sea lanes secure. We have full confidence in the ability and strength of our Navy,” said the defence minister. He and the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar were in Mumbai on Tuesday to commission INS Imphal, a Project 15B-class stealth guided missile destroyer, into the Indian Navy.

Admiral Hari Kumar stated that the Indian Navy had deployed four destroyers of Project 15B & 15A class to counter piracy and drone attacks on merchant shipping. He added that the P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Dornier aircraft, Sea Guardian drones and the helicopters of the Indian Navy had been deployed to counter the threats.

The Houthis started attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s aerial and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. The US has been accusing Iran of backing the Houthis based in Yemen.

The attack on the MT Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to Mangalore in India, however, signalled expanding risk to maritime traffic from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to a wider region.

India did not join the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, but sources told DH that its navy was operating in close coordination with the US and UK counterparts to deal with the situation in the wake of the attacks in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal as well as the Arabian Sea.

Singh reiterated the government’s resolve to lay equal emphasis on the modernisation of all three Services to safeguard national interests, stating that earlier governments focussed only on protecting the country from land-based threats.

He pointed out that with the Himalayas in the north and the hostile behaviour of Pakistan in the west, most of India’s goods trade comes through the sea, which makes it an island country from a ‘trade’ perspective. “There is a need to continuously develop the Navy’s capabilities as global trade is of great importance to India to secure its national interests,” he added.