Operation Cactus — India Rescues a Country in One Night

 

Year: November 3, 1988

This is perhaps RAW's most cinematic operation, and most Indians have never heard of it.

In November 1988, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), composed of about 200 Tamil secessionist rebels under Abdullah Luthufi, invaded the Maldives. At the request of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Indian Armed Forces, with assistance from RAW, launched a military campaign. 

On the night of November 3, 1988, the Indian Air Force airlifted the 6th Parachute Battalion from Agra and flew them over 2,000 km to Maldives. The Indian paratroopers landed at the airstrip of Hulhule island and restored Government rule at Malé within a day. 

RAW's quick intelligence gathering and coordination with the Indian military earned international praise, including from the US and Britain. 

India saved an entire country overnight — and then quietly went home. No celebration, no press conference.