Heroes of a Forgotten War

• For three years from 1987 to 1990 the Indian Army in the form of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) fought the LTTE in Sri Lanka. During which more than a thousand Indian soldiers lost their lives and many more were injured. Those days are now a distant memory for most Indians. Its time we remember the sacrifices made. Given below are stories taken from the Indian Express of three soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in Sri Lanka:
• Lt col Bawa
• Lt.Col. Bawa was an honest, upright and straightforward man, who put his duty before everything else. His Panchkula- based wife Lily Bawa says, “He was a complete man – a great leader, brave soldier, devoted husband and affectionate father. He was an inspiration for his men in the field and our two children, who have imbibed his values.”
• On October 12 1987, a contingent of Gorkha Rifles, lead by Lt. Col Bawa, landed in Palali, Sri Lanka. They immediately launched a battle to clear Axis Vasavilan Uragmprai Jaffna Fort. The militants contested the action from their fortified positions. Col Bawa’s valour scared the ferocious and ruthless LTTE guerrillas. He boldly bypassed and reduced each position of ultras, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
• The next day, the battalion was again pressed into action to extricate 13 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Commando teams from Kondamine North. On October 13, 1987, Col Bawa once again led his battalion and waded through the heavily-fortified territory and established a link with 13 Sikh Light Infantry and 10 Para Commando teams. But a militants’ suicide squad unleashed a salvo of bullets, to which the gallant officer succumbed.
• Lt. Col. Bawa was awarded Maha Vir Chakra for the exemplary bravery. Following in his footsteps, his son Major Tejinder Singh Bawa has embraced the olive. Maj. Tejinder, who was recently honoured with Sena Medal, is at present on a UN mission to Ethiopia.
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• “A country that does not honour its soldiers dishonours itself.”