For the first time, the Indian Army will formally pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in Operation Pawan, India's first major military mission abroad since Independence. Operation Pawan, conducted between 1987 and 1990 in Sri Lanka, resulted in the death of 1,171 Indian soldiers and left over 3,500 injured.
Operation Pawan was launched by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1987, sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka to help quell the civil war between the Tamil and Sinhala communities. The goal was to disarm Tamil militant groups, including the LTTE, and restore peace. However, the LTTE broke the agreement and engaged in fierce combat with Indian forces, often hiding in dense jungles and bushes. The intensity of the conflict was such that many soldiers could not even recover the bodies of their fallen comrades.
One of the most notable martyrs of Operation Pawan was Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, a Param Vir Chakra recipient, who was killed on 25 November, 1987.
Despite the significant losses, no official remembrance day has been observed for Operation Pawan. Each year, only a small number of ex-servicemen, widows, and their families gather privately at the memorial to pay their respects, but nothing was done at the official level. Sri Lanka, however, even has an IPKF memorial in Colombo.
However, this year marks a change. On November 26, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, along with Deputy Army Chief Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, will personally lay wreaths at the National War Memorial. Many former soldiers of Operation Pawan and the families of martyrs will also be present. A former soldier expressed a sense of satisfaction, stating that after 38 years, their sacrifices are finally being recognised.