The Indian Navy Day is observed on December 4 every year to recognise the efforts and achievements of the Indian Navy in Operation Trident conducted during the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971.
History
The Indian Navy was established in 1612 by the East India Company. On December 3, 1971, Pakistan launched an attack on Indian air bases during the India-Pakistan war. Countering the attack, the Indian navy had sent 3 missile boats INS Veer, INS Nipat and INS Nirghat, Vidyut-class boats towards Karachi at maximum speed. During this operation, the Indian Navy sank 3 Pakistan navy ships. Commodore Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao was the one who led the attack that sank the ships in Karachi.
This year, the Navy plans to celebrate the theme Swarnim Vijay Varsh to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of India’s victory in the 1971 war. The success of the Indian navy was celebrated by the whole country. Social media is flooded with posts with people talking about this victory as a sign of tribute to the navy and creating an awareness about the difficulties faced by the crew then.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted:
“Greetings on Navy Day. We are proud of the exemplary contributions of the Indian navy. Our navy is widely respected for its professionalism and outstanding courage. Our navy personnel have always been at the forefront of mitigating crisis situations like natural disasters.”
President of India Ram Nath Govind tweeted, “On Navy Day, greetings to all Navy personnel, veterans and their families. Besides safeguarding maritime security and protecting our interests in the sea, our Navy also played a stellar role in coping with the Covid-19 related crises. Indians remain grateful for your service.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has tweeted, “On this special day commemorating Indian Navy’s daring ‘Operation Trident’ during #1971War, my greetings and best wishes to all personnel of this outstanding force which continues to protect our National Interest through Maritime Security.
#SwarnimVijayVarsh @indiannavy”