Swami Vivekanand Subharti University honours 1,171 IPKF soldiers on Operation Pawan’s 38th anniversary, celebrating their bravery while felicitating veterans and Veer Naris with wreaths and shared experiences
Commemoration of 38th Operation Pawan Day
Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut, is a premier higher education organisation known for promoting a nationalist agenda amongst its extensive student and faculty body by holding symposiums, motivational programmes, and commemorative events to felicitate freedom fighters and war heroes of the Indian Armed Forces.
This year, the University held a remembrance event on October 11th, 2025 to pay tribute to the 1,171 gallant soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, who made the supreme sacrifice during Operation Pawan, and also to felicitate the War Veterans and Veer Naris of this significant chapter of the Indian military.
Significance of 10th of October 1987
This year marks the 38th anniversary of the commencement of active military operations on October 10th, 1987, against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan Tamil rebel group. The Indian Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi and the President of Sri Lanka Shri Julius Jayawardene had earlier signed the India-Sri Lanka Agreement (ISLA) on 29th July 1987 to bring peace to the island, which was in the throes of a decades-long Sri Lankan Tamil insurgency against the Sri Lankan Government.
The ISLA aimed at mitigating the ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka, protecting the Sri Lankan Tamil minority from state-sponsored discrimination, and ensuring the unity and territorial integrity of the island nation. It led to the deployment of the IPKF at the request of the Sri Lankan Government to guarantee adherence to the ISLA by the warring parties — namely, the Sri Lankan security forces and the Tamil militants. The 54 Infantry Division of the Indian Army was inducted as the IPKF on 29th July 1987 into the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. The military operation was code-named Operation Pawan.
The LTTE, the largest Tamil militant group, was reluctant to support the ISLA. Its leadership wanted an independent Tamil homeland carved out from Sri Lanka. For two months, it refused to surrender its weapons and ammunition in terms of the ISLA and continued to indulge in militant activities. Finally, on 6th October 1987, the LTTE leadership declared hostilities against the IPKF.In retaliation, the IPKF launched full-scale military action against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the night of 10/11 October 1987 by executing an audacious but weakly planned coup de main heliborne mission, employing a team of 10 PARA COMMANDO and advance elements of 13 SIKH LI to neutralise the headquarters of the LTTE, assessed to be located in Jaffna University. The heliborne operation encountered fierce resistance from LTTE cadres due to the advance leakage of information about this military operation. Nearly 50 soldiers of the two units were killed in action (KIA).
Despite inferior numbers and limited availability of ammunition, the Indian soldiers fought on bravely and staved off several assaults until they were successfully extricated by a larger force.
A total of 13 VrC, including four from the IAF, apart from other awards like SM, etc., were awarded in this operation — a record of sorts for any single operation in the annals of the history of the Services.
Legacy of Operation Pawan
Operation Pawan is a testament to India’s commitment to regional peace and stability. Post-October 1987, Operation Pawan was expanded to become the largest joint services military operation conducted overseas by India — a 32-month campaign from July 1987 to March 1990.Over and above the initial deployment of the 54 Infantry Division in the Jaffna Peninsula, three additional formations — 4 Infantry Division, 36 Infantry Division, and 57 Mountain Division — were inducted into the Vavuniya, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa regions, respectively.
This led to the establishment of Headquarters IPKF, a Corps-size tri-service organisation with nearly 100,000 troops from the three services under its command.
The human cost of Operation Pawan was enormous. 1,171 Indian soldiers were killed in action (KIA), and more than 3,500 were gravely wounded. Hundreds of wives were rendered widows, children left fatherless, and parents left without support in old age. The IPKF’s bravery was recognised with 1 Param Vir Chakra, 6 Maha Vir Chakras, 98 Vir Chakras, and countless other gallantry awards. Despite these sacrifices, the operation remains underappreciated on home soil.
There is a sense of profound injustice felt by veterans and families of the fallen alike. Unlike the 1971 Indo-Pak War and the Kargil conflict, Operation Pawan has not received the same level of official commemoration at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
The absence of such recognition is a source of profound hurt for the veterans who served, as well as the families who lost their loved ones in the line of duty.
Adding to their anguish is the fact that while Sri Lanka has honoured these soldiers by erecting a prominent war memorial in Colombo, India — on whose behalf they made the ultimate sacrifice — has failed to extend similar public tribute. Some of the graves of Indian soldiers who died during the operation still lie in Sri Lanka, further compounding the sense of neglect that surrounds their memory.In the words of the war veterans, “The greatest irony is that while our sacrifices are acknowledged and respected by Sri Lanka, our own Government and military leadership have shown a remarkable apathy to commemorate the lives of the 1,171 soldiers killed in action during Operation Pawan.”
Remembrance of IPKF Bravehearts
In the face of continued Government apathy towards official remembrance of the 1,171 bravehearts of the IPKF, the felicitation of the IPKF Veterans and Veer Naris by Swami Vivekanand Subharti University comes as a breath of fresh air that further adds to the nationalistic credentials of this organisation.
The event will commence with the laying of a wreath at the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University War Memorial, followed by the felicitation of Operation Pawan Veterans and Veer Naris, and sharing of battle experiences by the veterans of 10 PARA COMMANDO, 13 SIKH LI, and helicopter pilots who participated in this heliborne operation.
The writer is Col RS Sidhu, Sena Medal, an Operation Pawan veteran, strategic thinker, and author
