⚓⚓SPECIAL OPERATIONS CONDUCTED BY INDIAN NAVY⚓⚓

GHAZI ATTACK OF 1971   

The PNS Ghazi was the naval submarine, which was used in the naval battle of India-Pakistan Naval War of 1971 during the Bangladesh liberation war and hence popularly known as "Ghazi Attack". PNS Ghazi was assigned with a two-fold objective. The primary goal was to find and sink INS Vikrant and the second one was to lay mines on India's Eastern seaboard with or without accomplishing the primary objective.

 Finally on November 14, 1971, PNS Ghazi secretly sailed 3,000 miles (over 4,800km)   from the Arabian Sea to Bay of Bengal in a bid to locate and destroy INS Vikrant. Its secondary mission was to plant mines in India's eastern seaboard. Ghazi started looking for Vikrant on November 23 off Madras but was not aware that she was 10 days too late and the Vikrant was actually somewhere near the Andaman islands. Indian Navy got wind of the Ghazi's presence off the Sri Lankan coast by local fisherman which was spotted by INS Akshay through oil slick. The divers of naval fleet confirmed the estimated length of submarine over 300 feet. That information stunned the Eastern Indian Naval Command because they knew that Pakistan had four submarines and only the largest one in the fleet was longer than 300 feet, i.e. Ghazi

INS Rajput was sailed to mislead the Ghazi which was actually a suicide mission for Rajput because INS Rajput is nothing in front of Ghazi but giving as bait to Pakistan for the safety of Vikrant. Most interest and powerful weapon of Rajput was misleading the Ghazi through heavy wireless signals that makes them stronger. Thus, it was the accidental detonation of its own mines that destroyed the Ghazi and not INS Rajput‘s depth charges. The sinking of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi with 90 men aboard in the 1971 Indo-Pak war is regarded as one of the high points of India's first-ever emphatic military victory.      

OPERATION CACTUS

Thirty-three years ago, India launched an operation, operation Cactus, to help the Maldives as the country faced its biggest challenge--a coup launched by mercenaries. The operation forever etched in the India Maldives history of close cooperation shows how the Indian Navy played a significant role, especially in the Indian Ocean region's security and stability. 

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. After infiltrating the country’s capital of Male, the militants spread out and seized key areas in the city in an attempt to overthrow the then President Abdul Gayoom, however, escaped, taking refuge in the Maldives National Security Service headquarters. At 1530 hours on 3 November 1988, India approved the dispatch of troops to the Maldives, Troops were deployed in one swift motion. Less than 16 hours since President Gayoom’s SOS call, Indian paratroopers were en route, leaving from the Agra Air Force Station on an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft.

The INS Godavari and INS Betwa of the Indian Navy made sure of that. Two Sea-King Mk.42 choppers of the fleet dropped depth charges, blocking the mercenaries attempt to escape, The mission was concluded with no casualties to the Indian side.

Operation Cactus was testimony to the fact that India could play a role in ensuring security in Asia. India’s swift, decisive action was hailed by the international community, ranging from US President Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher.

Credits and References :

Written by : Durgesh Nagulkar (Team Fun fact Friday)

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