• Commissions 2nd naval det. and airstrip in Minicoy 
• Moves come mere months after Indo-Maldives relations were strained

Indian Navy will commission a Naval detachment in Minicoy, in the Lakshadweep archipelago as ‘INS Jatayu’ this week (6 March), with the participation of  Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the Indian Government announced yesterday (3). 

“The event marks an important milestone in the Navy’s resolve to incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important Lakshadweep Islands,” the Indian Ministry of Defence said, issuing a press release on the matter. Minicoy, one of the southernmost islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago and is the closest Indian territory to the Maldivian archipelago.

The decision to commission the new base, while being on the cards for some time, comes hot on the heels of strained Indo-Maldives relations, following the election of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who came to power in November last year (2023). Muizzu has called for India to withdraw a small detachment of Indian armed forces personnel, now based in Maldives. The anti-India and ‘India-out’ narrative of Muizzu who is reportedly backed by China, has ruffled feathers in New Delhi. Following Sri Lanka’s announcement of a year-long (2024) universal moratorium on granting permission for marine scientific research vessels (MSR) from surveying in Sri Lankan waters, a Chinese vessel which had sought to conduct research in Sri Lankan waters early this year, diverted and headed to the Maldives. This, while a trilateral Coast Guard training exercise between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, was ongoing. Both India and the United States have expressed their concern regarding the high frequency of Chinese MSR’s surveying in waters in and around Sri Lanka over the last two years.

Indian had initially established a small Naval detachment Minicoy in early 1980s. Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep which straddles the vital Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs). “Basing of an independent Naval unit with requisite infrastructure and resources will enhance the overall operational capability of the Indian Navy in the islands. The base will enhance operational reach and facilitate Indian Navy’s operational effort towards Anti-Piracy and Anti-Narcotics Operations in Western Arabian Sea. It will also augment the Indian Navy’s capability as the first responder in the region and augment connectivity with the mainland. The establishment of a Naval base is in line with the Government of India’s focus towards comprehensive development of islands,” the Indian MOD stated.  

Once established this week, INS Jatayu will become the second Naval base in Lakshadweep after INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti. It is expected that with the commissioning of INS Jatayu, the Indian Navy will strengthen its foothold in the Lakshadweep islands and along with extending operational surveillance, reach, and sustenance, and will be the first phase of future capacity building in the island territories.

India has also been formulating plans to forward deploy Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Coast Guard aircraft to the archipelago. It was reported that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had proposed to set up a forward fighter airbase in Minicoy Islands, 425 kilometres off the city of Thiruvananthapuram, as part of India’s national security strategy to safeguard the sea lanes of communications (SLOCs) as well as to counter rises of non-state actors in the region and the the Arabian Sea.

In 2021, the Indian Coast Guard intercepted a Sri Lankan deep-sea fishing vessel ‘Ravihansi’, and confiscated nearly 300 Kg of Heroin, five AK47 type assault rifles and a 1,000 rounds of ammunition, raising concerns about guns running in tandem to narcotics trafficking by Sri Lankan organised crime networks. The 2021 intercept by the ICG was the second instance where a Sri Lankan flagged fishing vessel was intercepted with narcotics and arms, with the previous one being apprehended in 2020.

Lakshadweep is a tropical archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, India. The islands are situated approximately 900 Km north west of Sri Lanka.