40th Siachen Day – 13 April 2024Siachen Day is annually observed by the Indian Army on 13 April to commemorate Operation Meghdoot launched by the Indian Army on 13 April 1984.

  • The Day honours the bravery and sacrifice of the Indian Army soldiers serving at the highest and coldest battlefield in the world, the Siachen Glacier, a part of the Union Territory (UT) Ladakh, located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas.

13th April 2024 marks the 40th year of Indian Army’s presence at Siachen Glacier.
Operation Meghdoot:
i.Operation Meghdoot was an Indian military operation launched to secure control of the entire Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) (now in the northern Ladakh region).
ii.It marked the first assault on the world’s highest battlefield, resulting in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier.
iii.The escalation of Pakistan’s activities in Ladakh prompted India to take action to safeguard its interests.
iv.The Indian Air Force (IAF) played a pivotal role in this operation.

  • The operation involved airlifting Indian Army soldiers, with IAF helicopters operating in the area.

Points to note:
i.Both India and Pakistan maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 meters (20,000 feet).
ii.IAF helicopters has been operating in the Siachen Glacier since 1978, flying the Chetak helicopters, the 1st IAF helicopter to land in the Glacier in October 1978.
Operation Meghdoot:
The permission for Operation Meghdoot was given by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
ii.Major R S Sandhu and Captain Sanjay Kulkarni of 4 Kumaon, along with one platoon, were deployed via helicopter near Bilafond La on 13 April 1984.
iii.Sia La was occupied by 17 April 1984, marking a significant milestone in the operation.
iv.Colonel Narendra Kumar(known as Bull), Indian soldier and mountaineer, played a major role in the launch of Operation Meghdoot to secure the Siachen Heights.
v.The operation resulted in India gaining 70 kilometers long Siachen Glacier and all of its tributary glaciers, as well as 3 main passes of the Saltoro Ridge immediately west of the glacier, Sia La, Bilafond La, and Gyong La.
vi.Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have taken tanks and other heavy ordnance up to an altitude range of over 5000 meters.