Veterans, Veer Naris (war widows), and Next of Kin (NoK) at the National War Memorial, pay homage to those who lost their lives in Operation Pawan, March 24, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Over a hundred veterans of the Indian armed forces, Veer Naris (war widows) and Next of Kin (NoK) assembled at the National War Memorial (NWM) earlier this week to pay a quiet homage in a solemn and emotionally charged gathering, to the soldiers who served in Operation Pawan. Operation Pawan was India’s first large-scale overseas military operation in Sri Lanka that ended on a bloody and bitter note and is not officially commemorated.
Veterans have been demanding recognition and the designation of a day for Operation Pawan on the lines of the commemoration of the 1971 liberation war and the 1999 Kargil conflict. However, a tri-service committee, after detailed deliberation, said in an official communication dated 17 October 2024 accessed by The Hindu that it had decided to maintain the status quo.
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The 5th iteration of the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the NWM was held on 24 March from 3:30 pm onwards.
“This year’s commemoration holds special significance as it brought together decorated officers, gallantry award recipients, and families of fallen heroes who served during the Indian Peace Keeping Force’s (IPKF) deployment to Sri Lanka in 1987,” said Col B. R. Nair, a veteran of the IPKF.
“Like the previous four years, this year too Army headquarters allowed only a private ceremony by veterans which they term as a silent ceremony, sans buglers – an essential part in any wreath laying ceremony when buglers play the Last Post followed by the Rouse,” he stated.
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Under the mandate of the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement signed in 1987, the IPKF was deployed in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990 to conduct peacekeeping operations. During these operations, 1,166 personnel – 51 Officers, 78 Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and 1,037 Other Ranks – of the IPKF laid down their lives, mainly in conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), as informed to Parliament in a written reply by the Ministry of External Affairs in August 2012. The armed conflict in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009.
A total of 11 wreaths were laid by spouses, children and NoK of those killed in action 36–37 years ago, Col Nair said.
According to Col Nair, the Army Headquarters has continuously denied veterans a dignified commemoration ceremony — citing vague references to government policy. Earlier, Col Nair noted his honour at having Ramanathan, along with his sister and brother-in-law, travel from Chennai to lay a wreath on behalf of the late Major Parameshwaran, PVC (P) of 8 Mahar.
The gathering underscores the collective pride and enduring emotional bond between the armed forces and the families of those who made the supreme sacrifice, Col Nair said. He added, “It also draws attention to Operation Pawan’s glaring absence from official narratives and its omission from the displays and descriptions at the NWM.”
However, officials pointed out that the names of all soldiers who lost their lives since independence, including those from Operation Pawan, are inscribed at the NWM.
The Indian Ex-Services League (IESL), a veterans organisation recognised by the Ministry of Defence with the Defence Minister as its Patron-in-Chief, wrote a letter to the Chief of Defence Staff and the three Service Chiefs last year regarding honouring those involved in the 1962 and IPKF operations.
Brigadier Inder Mohan Singh (Retd), President of the IESL, stated in a letter dated October 30, 2024 that all good armies, especially those of democratic countries, remember and honour the valour of past generations — whether in victory or defeat — citing the United States as an example.
“Politicisation of the sacrifices in India is a serious concern to the veteran fraternity,” he said, noting that the 1971 victory was the greatest among all wars after World War II, while India suffered a humiliating defeat in 1962. He added that in both wars nearly the same number of soldiers were lost and that, politically, so much humiliation is heaped on the failure of the governmentat of that time, that the valour of soldiers who sacrificed their lives is forgotten.
Similarly, the sacrifice of our soldiers in the IPKF operation remains a forgotten story, Brigadier Singh said.
He observed that the acts of bravery of Indian troops are known only to the generation that was in service during those operations, and that many units which participated feel ignored — a sentiment now amplified by social media where the valour of 13 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Special Forces has gone viral.
“All of you as Chiefs are possibly the last generation who joined the service when IPKF operations commenced,” he added.
Brigadier Singh remarked that, politically, it may not suit the Government of India and the Tamil Nadu Government to commemorate these events because of the involvement of Tamil aspirations, and stressed that the military should remain above such issues. He further noted that the IPKF operations resulted in the loss of over 1,100 lives — more than twice the number in Kargil — and argued that if Kargil was due to failures in our intelligence organisations, the Sri Lanka operation was driven by political expediency. He called for the creation of suitable memorials for the soldiers whose casualty figures remain unclear, including those from the 1962 war and other skirmishes with China.
Several veterans argued that Operation Pawan, which witnessed intense jungle warfare, urban combat. and complex peacekeeping operations, remains a significant yet understated chapter in India’s military history, and that its lessons are increasingly relevant today as India moves towards integrated theatre commands and more joint-force operations.
Published – March 27, 2025 02:19 am IST