Thirty-nine years ago, during the period from October 10 to October 25, 1987, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fought to resist the Indian Army’s first operation to capture Jaffna from them and disarm them. The fighting began on October 10 with a direct confrontation against Indian troops attempting to advance in the Jaffna Fort area.

In that confrontation, LTTE fighter Anran, whose name was Ratnam Parameswaran and who was from Veemankamam North, Tellippalai, became the first martyr to fall.

At the time, Lieutenant General Depinder Singh was serving as the chief commander of the Indian Peace Keeping Force,

while Major General Harkirat Singh headed the Indian Army’s 54th Infantry Division.

The Indian Army launched a major military operation named Operation Pawan with the aim of neutralising the LTTE leadership.

During the operation, three senior officers held important responsibilities in the Indian Army’s elite 9 Para Special Forces (9 Para SF), inflicting heavy losses not only on the LTTE but also on the Tamil people who had welcomed them with garlands.

Colonel S. S. Mann served as Commander Special Forces (Commander SF), drawing up strategic plans for the Indian special forces deployed in the operation.

Supporting him, Lieutenant Colonel S. B. Khanna (Shashi Bhushan Khanna) served as second-in-command of the Indian Army’s 9 Special Forces (9 SF) and also took the field as commanding officer of the Indian Army’s 65th Armoured Regiment.

Alongside them, Colonel Hardev Singh Lidder, as Commanding Officer (CO) of 9 Para Special Forces, led the peacekeeping troops with great aggression. Through these three men, the land of Jaffna itself became a graveyard.

During the 15-day war from October 10 to October 25, 52 martyrs fell, including Lieutenant Colonel Santhosam, Major Ashok, Captain Kanagasabai and several other ranked fighters, as well as four women fighters including Second Lieutenant Malathi.

During those same 15 days, more than 500 innocent Tamil civilians were killed, and more than 1,000 Tamil families endured immense suffering.

Although all the commanding officers mentioned in this article, who came under the name of the Indian Peace Keeping Force and were responsible for the suffering inflicted on the Eelam Tamil people, subsequently received promotions,

the Indian government must recognise that the Eelam Tamil people have received neither justice for those atrocities nor the legitimate rights for which they struggled. Establishing the justice the Eelam Tamil people need is its moral duty.

Swami Shankarananthaa 🙏