The Maldives government claimed last week that a sortie was made by the Indian military helicopter pilots in 2019, when President Solih was the leader of the country.
The diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Male were hit another time when the Maldives accused an Indian naval chopper of the unauthorized sortie, a claim that India has categorically denied.
India responded to the allegations, saying: “Ways of Indian aviation platforms in the island nation have always been carried out as per the agreed procedure.
On May 10 this year, India pulled out all of its military from the Maldives. They were in charge of the two Indian helicopters and a Dornier aircraft on the islands for helping people and disaster relief.
The Maldives said that the Indian helicopter has made an ‘unauthorised’ sortie.
The following day, on May 11, the Maldives President-led government organized a press conference, during which the defense minister of the country, Ghassan Maumoon, declared that the Indian helicopter pilots had “flown without Maldivian authorization” under the administration of the former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in 2019.
According to Major General Ibrahim Hilmy, the chief of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), an unauthorized flight was made, and the Indian military personnel landed the helicopter on the island of Thimarafushi, which is 222 km south of the capital city of Male.
Ghassan guaranteed the media that “such unauthorized flights could not have been done after the Muizzu-led government took power.”
India denies Maldives claims
India rebutted the allegation made by the Maldives. The High Commission of India in the Maldives said: The plane that was flown on October 9, 2019, which was mentioned at the press conference, was performed with the permission of MNDF.
“Indian aviation platforms in the Maldives have always functioned according to the agreed procedures and with the due permission of the MNDF. The specific sortie on October 9, 2019, which was referred to by the press conference, was also done with the approval of the MNDF,” the statement by the Indian High Commission said.
