Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Anuradhapura, Talaimannar and Jaffna in Indian Air Force helicopters. This was the first time that he was using choppers to get to destinations during his three-nation five-day tour of the Indian Ocean region.
The choppers arrived in Colombo in advance for the complicated itinerary that the Indian Prime Minister has in Sri Lanka.
Security has been very high, with all streets and even alleys being patrolled by thousands of policemen.
Anuradhapura was the ancient political capital of Lanka from the 4th century B.C. to the 11 century A.D. It is also the a centre of Theravada Buddhism. He was accompanied by President Maithiripala Sirisena.
In Jaffna, the presence of Indian choppers caused quite an excitement, with locals recalling the air dropping of supplies by the Indian Air Force in 1987, when the country was in the midst of a civil war.
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Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had then directed the Indian Air Force to air-drop supplies over Jaffna as rumours spread over an air-attack by Sri Lankan forces on unarmed civilians intended to send a message to the LTTE.
Code-named Operation Poomalai (Floral Garland), the air dropping of supplies by the Indian Air Force was a signal to the the Sri Lankan forces to stop attacks on unarmed Tamils.
Five AN-32s with two Mirages with relief supplies flew in from Bangalore's Yelahanka air base and dropped relief supplies without any opposition from Sri Lankan forces who were informed that they would meet with retaliation if they tried to stop the Indian birds.
Operation Poomalai was a shock to Sri Lanka, which was offended by the attack on its sovereignty. But, it also led President Julius Jayawardene to come to the negotiating table and sign the India-Sri Lanka Accord on July 29, 1987.
If Operation Poomalai was a success, another Indian operation involving Indian choppers in Jaffna did not end so well.
Operation Pawan was an Indian operation where paratroopers were supposed to be heli-dropped to perform a commando raid at the Jaffna University to take out the top LTTE leadership. But the LTTE intercepted radio transmissions of the Indian Peace Keeping forces and ambushed the Indian troops. Twenty-nine of the 30 Sikh Light Infantry troopers were butchered in the battle. As per some reports, in just a few months, the Indian Air Force had flown over 2000 tactical transport and a thousand helicopter sorties to back the ground operations.
Today, however, they flew in peace. Transporting an Indian Prime Minister and his delegation to a Buddhist place of worship, a mission to reinvigorate the relationship with its southern neighbour. Despite all that Rajiv Gandhi did or did not do with regard to Sri Lanka, he did not visit Jaffna. Nor did subsequent Prime Ministers of India.
Mr.Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to set foot in this war-ravaged region. He is also the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the IPKF memorial to lay to rest the dismay, hurt, sorrow over an operation that led to death of so many brave Indian soldiers who fought a war they were ill-equipped to handle. A military operation that went wrong.
