PM Modi praises Navy for thwarting hijack bid, lauds Aditya L1 success at DGP conference

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (Jan 7) hailed the Indian Navy for its "daring operation" to rescue a Liberian merchant ship in the Arabian Sea.

He said that the marine warriors trawled 2000 kilometres off the coast of India to foil the attempted hijack and brought all 21 crew members back.

While addressing the All India Conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police in Jaipur on Sunday (Jan 7), PM Modi stated that the Indian Navy personnel swung into action immediately after they received a distress call from the vessel.

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"Two days ago, the Indian Navy successfully accomplished a daring operation. As soon as a message was received from a merchant vessel, in the Arabian Sea, Indian Navy and Marine Commandos got active instantly," the Indian prime minister said.

"There were 21 people on board the ship, of which 15 were Indians. Our naval commandos sailed 2000 kms from the Indian coastline and rescued all of them," he added.

He recounted how the Indian crew on board the vessel, after being safely evacuated and rescued, chanted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.

"You must have seen footage of the Indian crew members chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' after being rescued from the hijacked ship," PM Modi said.

The marine commandos removed all 21 crew members off the hijacked ship, MV Lila Norfolk, on Friday after it sailed from the coast of Somalia.

"Indian Navy's Swift Response to the Hijacking Attempt of MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea. All 21 crew (incl 15 Indians) onboard safely evacuated from the citadel. Sanitisation by MARCOs has confirmed (the) absence of the hijackers," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

"The hijacking attempt by the pirates was probably abandoned with the forceful warning by the Indian Navy, MPA of interception by Indian Naval warship," the statement read.

Aditya L1 showcased scope of India's space research, says PM Modi

During his address, PM Modi also hailed Aditya-L1 saying that the mission demonstrated the potential and scope of India's space research in addition to replicating the historic success of "Chandrayaan-2."

"Aditya L-1 has covered 15 lakh kilometres from earth and reached its desired destination, on time. Just like the historic success of the Chandrayaan mission, this (Aditya L-1), too, showcased the capabilities of our space research," PM Modi said.

In a groundbreaking achievement, ISRO placed its maiden solar mission the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, in the Halo orbit on Saturday (Jan 8).

PM Modi had earlier, praising the Aditya-L1 mission's accomplishment, declared that India would keep exploring new scientific frontiers for the good of humanity.

"India creates yet another landmark. India's first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity," he said in a post on X.

(With inputs from agencies)