Military Operations of India by Dr. Gaurav Garg
Operation Polo (1948)
● Operation Polo was the code name of the Hyderabad "police action" in September 1948 by the then
newly independent Dominion of India against the Hyderabad State.
● It was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-ruled princely state , annexing it into
the Indian Union.
● The idea of Hyderabad arming itself aided by Pakistan did not go down well with the Indian Government.
● In 1947, Home Minister Sardar Patel requested Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of the princely state of
Hyderabad, to join India, but he refused. Instead, he declared Hyderabad as an independent nation on August 15, 1947.
● Sardar Patel described the idea of an independent Hyderabad as “an ulcer in the heart of India which needed to be
removed surgically.”
● This operation was named “Operation Polo” and it is also referred to as “ Operation Caterpillar ” at times.
● Though it was only a five-day war that began on September 13 and lasted till September 18 , it was significant as the
Indian Army took over a powerful state and Hyderabad was attached to India.
Operation HAT
● The covert mission by India and America - to install a 125,000 pound tracking device powered by a nuclear snap
generator atop the Nanda Devi at 27,000 feet.
● The snap generator was powered by Plutonium-238 which has a half life of 87.7 years.
● If installed successfully, this device would help the US intelligence to gather critical information on China’s rapidly
expanding nuclear capabilities and track their nuclear war-heads.
Operation Brasstacks (1987)
● The army moved tens of thousands of troops to the western border , along with armoured columns, artillery and rocket
systems, in an overwhelming show of military.
● Operation Brasstack was the brainchild of then army chief, General Krishnaswami Sundarji .
Operation Good Samaritan → humanitarian tasks in Manipur/Nagaland.
Operation Vijay (1961)
● The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed the former Portuguese Indian territories
of Goa , Daman and Diu , starting with the armed action carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961.
● The "armed action" was code named Operation Vijay ( meaning "Victory" ) by the Indian Armed Forces.
● In India, this action is referred to as the " Liberation of Goa ".
● In Portugal , it is referred to as the " Invasion of Goa ". Following the end of Portuguese rule in 1961, Goa was placed
under military administration headed by Kunhiraman Palat Candeth as Lieutenant Governor.
● On 8 June 1962 , military rule was replaced by civilian government when the Lieutenant Governor nominated an
informal Consultative Council of 29 nominated members to assist him in the administration of the territory
Operation Steeplechase (1971)
● In July 1971 , Indira Gandhi took advantage of President's rule to mobilise the Indian Army against the Naxalites and
launched a colossal combined army and police counter-insurgency operation, termed " Operation Steeplechase ," killing
hundreds of Naxalites and imprisoning more than 20,000 suspects and cadres, including senior leaders.
● The paramilitary forces and a brigade of para commandos also participated in Operation Steeplechase.
● The operation was choreographed in October 1969 , and Lt. General J.F.R. Jacob was enjoined by Govind Narain, the
Home Secretary of India, that "there should be no publicity and no records".
Operation Blue Star (1984)
● It was the codename of an Indian military action carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984 to remove militant religious
leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)
complex in Amritsar, Punjab. Operation Blue Star took birth after the rise of Khalistan movement in India.
● The Khalistan movement was a political Sikh nationalist movement which aimed at creating an independent state for
Sikhs inside the current North-Western Republic of India.
● Five months after the operation , on 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated in an act of revenge by her two
Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh.
Operation Woodrose (1984)
● Operation Woodrose was a military operation carried out by the Indira Gandhi -led Indian government in the months
after Operation Blue Star to " prevent the outbreak of widespread public protest " in the state of Punjab.
● The government arrested all prominent members of the largest Sikh political party, the Akali Dal, and banned the All
India Sikh Students Federation, a large students' union.
● In addition, the Indian Army conducted operations in the countryside during which thousands of Sikhs , overwhelmingly
young men, were detained for interrogation and subsequently tortured.
● After the operation, the central government was criticized for using "draconian legislation" to repress a minority
community.
Operation Meghdoot (1984)
● Operation Meghdoot was the code-name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier in the
Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict.
● Launched on 13 April 1984 (Siachen Day - 13 April), this military operation was the first assault launched in the
highest battlefield in the world.
● The military action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier.
● Operation Meghdoot was led by Lieutenant General Prem Nath Hoon .
Operation Rajiv (1987)
● Operation Rajiv was an Indian Army operation to capture the highest peak in the Siachen area in 1987.
● The Pakistan Army had established a post (called the Quaid Post ) on the top of the strategically located peak,
threatening the Indian movement in the area.
● An Indian task force, led by Major Varinder Singh, launched multiple attacks to capture the Post.
● After three unsuccessful attempts, a team led by Naib Subedar Bana Singh captured the Post.
● The peak was renamed Bana Top in honour of Bana Singh, who was awarded India's highest military award Param Vir
Chakra for his courage.
● The operation was named after Second Lieutenant Rajiv Pande , who had been killed during an earlier attempt to capture
the peak.
Operation Pawan (1987)
● Operation Pawan was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take
control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) , better known as the Tamil Tigers, in late 1987 to
enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord.
● Date of Operation - 11 to 25 October 1987 .
● In brutal fighting lasting about three weeks, the IPKF took control of the Jaffna Peninsula from the LTTE, something
that the Sri Lankan Army had tried but failed to do.
● Supported by Indian Army tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, the IPKF routed the LTTE at the cost of 214
soldiers and Officers
● Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE Organisation.
Operation Trishul (1988)
● Operation Trishul along with Operation Viraat , was an anti-insurgency operation launched by the Indian Peace Keeping
Force (IPKF) against the LTTE in April 1988 in Northern Sri Lanka, in the provinces of Maannar to Mullaitivu and
Elephant Pass to Vavuniya.
● The operation was planned as a result of the evolving doctrine among the Indian high command of conducting search
and destroy missions against LTTE strongholds instead of holding key strongpoints.
Operation Checkmate (Sri Lanka) (1988)
● Operation Checkmate was an anti-insurgency operation carried out by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) against
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Vadamarachchi area of northern Sri Lanka in June 1988 .
● Initiated immediately prior to the elections in the North eastern provinces, the aim of the operation was to destroy the
Tigers' capacity to hinder the electoral process, which they had called to boycott.
● It ended in an IPKF victory.
Operation Cactus (1988 Maldives coup d'état)
● A group of 80-200 Sri Lankan militants from the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam ( PLOTE ), backed by
Maldivian businessman Abdulla Luthufi , mounted a coup in the Maldives in November 1988 in an attempt to
overthrow the then President Abdul Gayoom .
● President Abdul Gayoom reached out to a number of nations, including India, Pakistan, the United States, Britain,
Malaysia, Sri Lanka and other states.
● Under the guidance of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi , India responded with an overwhelming speed and efficiency.
● At 1530 hours on 3 November 1988 , India approved the dispatch of troops to the Maldives and eliminated the terrorist
leaders of PLOTE.
● At the realization of the attack's failure, the terrorist group hijacked a Maldivian freighter named MV Progresslight and
set sail towards Sri Lanka.
● After the terrorists escaped, the Indian Navy was called for help and they intercepted and captured the mercenaries and
they were brought into custody in an operation codenamed Operation Cactus .
Operation Vijay (1999)
● The Kargil War , also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place
between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC).
● In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the
Kargil sector.
● The Indian Air Force's role in acting jointly with Indian Army ground troops during the war was aimed at flushing out
regular and irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of
Control.
● This particular operation was given the code name Operation Safed Sagar.
● Indian Air Force played a very important role in the Kargil War, so this is called ‘ Operation Safed Sagar ’.
● It was fought for over 60 days (between May and July 1999) and ended with India regaining control of all previously
held territory.
● In the 60- day long conflict, the victory of Tiger Hill was one of the crucial achievements.
Operation Parakram (2001–02 India–Pakistan standoff)
● The 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing
of troops on both sides of the border and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir.
● The military buildup was initiated by India responding to a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi on 13
December 2001 (during which twelve people, including the five terrorists who attacked the building, were killed) and
the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on 1 October 2001.
● In Western media, coverage of the standoff focused on the possibility of a nuclear war between the two countries and
the implications of the potential conflict on the American-led "Global War on Terrorism" in nearby Afghanistan.
● Tensions de-escalated following international diplomatic mediation which resulted in the October 2002 withdrawal of
Indian and Pakistani troops from the international border.
Operation Black Tornado (2008)
● 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an extremist Islamist terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, carried out 12
coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai .
● The attacks began on Wednesday 26 November and lasted until Saturday 29 November 2008.
● At least 174 people died, including 9 attackers, and more than 300 were wounded.
● On 29 November, India's National Security Guards (NSG) conducted Operation Black Tornado to flush out the
remaining attackers; it culminated in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Hotel and ended the attacks
Operation Surya Hope
● Operation Surya Hope was the Indian Army’s Central Command response to the June 2013 North India
floods in Uttarakhand.
● The Indian Army's Lucknow based Central Command conducted the operation.
● Surya or Sun , is the emblem of the Central Command and features prominently on the Command's
formation sign and flag, which is probably why Central Command chose to name the effort Operation
Surya Hope
● Operation Surya Hope was the follow-up to Operation Ganga Prahar (also done by Indian Army, it was also a relief
operation).
● The Government of India classifies the disaster as a tsunami.
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