KENDRAPARA: Sanatan Sahoo, war hero and veteran of the Indian Navy, has only one wish - a war memorial in Odisha. The 68-year-old veteran from Madhapur village in Kendrapara town who was a part of one of the greatest victories of Indian Navy, the Operation Trident, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, wants the deserved honour for the soldiers from the State who fought and laid down their lives for the country.
He recounts how the Indian Navy launched an audacious operation on Pakistan’s port city Karachi in 1971 which became a defining moment in the Indo-Pak war. A signalman, Sahoo is among the handful of lucky soldiers who survived the war.
“We boarded Indian Navy ship INS Kiltan from Bombay to attack Karachi port on 4 December 1971 night. On reaching near the port we used missiles to attack port from our ship. Due to our sudden attack, Pakistan lost a mine-sweeper, two destroyers, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, fuel storage tanks and many other vessels.
After our attack, Karachi burned for seven days. From the deck of INS Kiltan, we witnessed the burning scenes of the Pakistani port city.
“Our attack on Karachi port is the most memorable. I still remember the flames on Karachi skyline clearly as if it’s in front of my eyes,” he adds. India celebrates its Navy Day annually on 4 December for our bravery, he added.
India decided to attack Karachi port after Pakistan fighter planes attacked three Indian airfields in Punjab on 3 December 1971. The war of 1971 was triggered by the Pakistani attack on 3 December”, said Sanatan.
Sahoo joined Indian Navy in 1967 at the age of 17 at Visakhapatnam and retired in 1982 after 15 years of service. After retiring from Indian Navy, Sahoo worked with Syndicate Bank and retired from bank eight years back. He now lives with his wife, three sons and grand-children in the village.
However, what saddens Sahoo is the fact that the names of war heroes have been lost in the realm of obscurity. Several governments in different states built war memorials to remember army men who sacrificed their lives for the country. But, in Odisha, the Government is yet to initiate any such step, said Sahoo.
The war ended after the Eastern Command of Pakistani Armed Forces signed the Instrument of Surrender on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the liberation of the new nation of Bangladesh. The 17-day war caused thousands of casualties on both sides, added Sanatan.
According to the war veteran, the creation of Bangladesh proved that the formation of Pakistan on the basis of religion was wrong.