Today’s news / Niels Holck Denies Violent Intentions of Spiritual Group
Niels Holck will, over the course of 11 court days, attempt to convince the Court in Hillerød that he should not be extradited to India. (Archive photo). Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Niels Holck Denies Violent Intentions of Spiritual Group

Niels Holck took the stand on Tuesday at the Hillerød Court regarding his potential extradition to India to face charges for a 1995 weapons drop in West Bengal. Throughout the hearing, his lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, questioned him about the spiritual group Ananda Marga and events leading up to and after the weapon drop. Holck, associated with Prout, a part of Ananda Marga, emphasized that violence is not part of the organization’s philosophy, stating, ‘I have never met anyone who believed in or acted upon creating change through violence.’ Although no longer affiliated with the group, Holck daily meditates and remains inspired by the hope the group once represented for him. During his testimony, he explained that in December 1995, he flew with a British arms dealer and a Russian crew over Purulia because Ananda Marga needed weapons to defend against communist soldiers in West Bengal.