Battalion that took part in Maldives operation celebrates diamond jubilee

The celebration commenced with all officers and sixty SF personnel running 60 km to commemorate the 60 years since its raising. A number of veterans not only attended the various functions but also made a parachute jump during marginal weather, the oldest among them being Col Karumbaiah from Bangaluru at the age of 80-plus years.

Among the senior veterans who participated were Lt General Vinod Bhatia, former Director General Military Operations; Lt General R K Mehta, former military advisor to the UN secretary-general; and brigadiers S C Joshi and R J S Dhillon, who spearheaded Operation Maldvies to rescue the president in November 1988, India’s first international intervention operation.

The unit has been awarded the COAS and GOC IN C unit citation in addition to numerous gallantry awards.

The Battalion was raised on Feb 1, 1963, by then Lt Col S C Sinha and was awarded with colours by President Dr Zakir Hussain. On Sep 16, 1965, in Operation Riddle during the Indo-Pak war, the battalion captured the Jallo railway bridge in Lahore sector, Pakistan.

The official war history of 1965 war notes that there was stiff opposition to the task given to 50 Parachute Brigade to capture the Jallo railway bridge and two battalions of the brigade, 2 Para and 3 Para, had already suffered heavy losses in the endeavour after coming under heavy artillery fire.

President’s Colours awarded to 6 Para by President Zakir Hussein. (Express Photo)

Despite being a newly raised battalion, 6 Para had superb battle drill and fighting spirit and it attacked the Jallo railway bridge and captured it. “It hit the objective on 0030 hours on September 17 and occupied it. It raised its success signal ‘Ghora’, which was heard in the brigade. The officers and men in the brigade were overjoyed to hear it,” the war history notes.

In July 1991 the unit took possession of Point 5299 in Dras sector, which was vital in overall strategic plan of the sector.

However, it is Operation Cactus, conducted on November 3, 1988, that 6 Para is more famous for. That was the time when the unit, which was taking part in an exercise near Agra, was mobilised in the shortest possible time with two companies of the battalion and a third company from a sister battalion, to be airlifted to Maldives in order to tackle the rebels who had held members of that country’s government hostage.

Brig S C Joshi was the commanding officer of the battalion at the time in the rank of a colonel while Brig R J S Dhillon was the company commander in the rank of a major who was responsible for carrying out the primary task. Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia was then brigade major of 50 Independent Parachute Brigade, which had been tasked for the intervention.

Brig Farouk Bulsara, commander of the brigade, was among the first to land in the Maldives along with Maj Bhatia, Col Joshi and Maj Dhillon in the lead aircraft. In the second aircraft was Brig VP Malik, then serving in the military operations directorate. He later went on to rise to the rank of a general and became the chief of army staff.

The successful intervention by 6 Para was also due to the operational integration achieved between the Army and the IAF for carrying out the operation. Group Captain A G Bewoor and his team of officers and personnel of 44 Squadron in Agra, who flew the Parachute Brigade elements to Maldives in IL-76 aircraft, also came in for much praise.