Plea to India over jailed Briton

Peter Bleach: Jailed for life by a court in India

The UK Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, has made a formal request to India to free a British man jailed for arms smuggling.

Peter Bleach is serving a life sentence in a Calcutta prison after being convicted in February for being involved in a mysterious arms drop over eastern India in 1995.

During his trial, the prosecution alleged that the arms were intended for a Hindu group in West Bengal.

Five Latvian and Russian men, who also took part in the operation, have already been pardoned and released after representations from Russia.

It has never been clear why Bleach was involved, and what the arms were meant to be used for.

Bleach insisted that he carried out the drop with the knowledge of the UK and Indian intelligence services.

Other releases

The British High Commissioner in India, Rob Young, told journalists that the UK had asked for Bleach's release on grounds that others who were released were convicted on identical grounds.

"Otherwise, it would look like he was being treated in a discriminatory matter," he said.

The case of Peter Bleach was raised by the UK Home Secretary, Jack Straw, during an official visit to India in September.

Bleach and the Russian and Latvian crew men were detained after Indian air force jets forced down their Latvian Antonov An-26 transport plane while it was over India.