Operation Dissolution (1983: Doomsday)

The Union Interim Parliament of India has maintained large numbers of soldiers on its borders for many years, especially so on its eastern side. Since the conquest of Arunachal Pradesh, it has had logistical problems transporting supplies to the state. In late March 2013, a routine flight over one of the breakaway states went wrong, sending a pilot crashing into the jungles of Bodoland. A rescue operation was set up, and backfired when the troops sent to retrieve the crashed plane got into a firefight with Bodoland forces, who thought the UIP troops were invading. From there, the situation escalated until the UIP invaded most of the breakaway states.

Trigger
A routine flight over Bodoland turned problematic when a new pilot began to experience problems with his aircraft. His MiG-21 started to become difficult to control, and this led to the pilot losing control of his aircraft and crashing into the forested hills of Bodoland. This came to the attention of military authorities after the pilot failed to radio in or show up at his intended destination in Arunanchal Pradesh. The condition of the pilot was unknown at this point.

The matter was taken up to the military high command, who authorized a search and rescue mission into Bodoland to try to recover the missing plane. A rescue team was put together, and set out for the last known location of the aircraft.

Search & Rescue


The operation began smoothly, with the team covering good ground by air. The wreckage of the crashed plane was easily located in the forested hills between the border and the Bodoland's capital city of Kokrajhar, and the team landed by helicopter to investigate. The pilot was nowhere to be seen, however, giving them hope that he was still alive somewhere. For several hours, they hunted around the area for him, hoping to find him alive but growing ever doubtful.

Then, their luck improved, when they found him, delirious, and badly injured, sitting in a nearby clearing - apparently, he had thought they were members of the Bodoland militia, and tried to keep away from them. He was soon taken to a clearing, where a helicopter arrived and evacuated him back to a hospital at the UIP air base in Cooch Behar. However, the helicopter also dropped off a recovery team, whose goal was to attempt to recover the downed aircraft. They were to spend the night, and try to both recover the majority of the plane, at minimum, and figure out a cause for the crash if possible. The Bodoland authorities were notified of the incident, but they failed to let any of their local commanders know this.

Backfire
Local elements of the Bodoland militia had spotted the search planes flying into - and presumably over - their territory and had decided to do nothing about it as it was not in their power to do so, and they were obviously search planes. Yet this was not the case with the helicopters, which they viewed as more of a threat, and decided to investigate. The first helicopter was long gone by the time they started to move, however.

The troops arrived too late to catch the second helicopter as well, but when they swept the area for enemy soldiers, they soon came into contact with the UIP recovery team at the crash site. The militia, thinking it some sort of attack, opened fire and a firefight ensured. It was readily apparent that the recovery team obviously outgunned the locals - however, they were outnumbered, and most were eventually killed, but not before they forced the militia back and radioed for help.

Several helicopters were sent to investigate the report, and aid the beleaguered recovery team. They found dead bodies, confirming their worst fears. However, some soldiers had survived, and reinforcements were rapidly sent from Cooch Behar. The dead soldiers were taken back and were given a military burial with full military honours. The survivors, most of whom were wounded, were also sent back and joined the pilot in the hospital.

Escalation
The UIP was not one to just stand back and let a small state like Bodoland get away with killing their soldiers, despite the protests of the Bodoland government that it had been accidental and not ordered. Following discussions with the government, UIP commanders under the Chief of Staff, Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, decided that the best way to go forward was to launch attacks into Bodoland.

These attacks, as one would have expected, went well. Ground forces reached the crash site within six hours of crossing the border, and by the next afternoon, had occupied Kokrajhar.

Shortly after the occupation of the Bodolander capital, SAC representatives angrily demanded the Union remove its forces from Bodoland - the demand was refused, and in response, they immediately withdrew their aid. With this, President Singh and Prime Minister Joshi, following consultations with other UIP leaders, decided to order the military to begin preparations to invade most of the other rebel states, as well, since the main reason for holding back had just become a moot point. The larger of those states were pointedly left out of the move.

The operation would be code-named "Dissolution."

Opening Stages
After a week of preparation and build-up, the first attacks on the other breakaway states were launched, and the offensive in Bodoland was expanded. Smashing through the defenses of these states, they proved unable to hold back the UIP advance. As UIP forces clashed with small, untrained militiamen, progress was made rapidly. By nightfall on the third day of the expanded offensive, most of Bodoland had been occupied, and by the next morning, whatever organized forces that were left had surrendered. Some resistance by small military units would be encountered for a few days to come, but this would be overcome fairly easily. Most of the UIP casualties were suffered in ambushes and mines planted by the militias.

At the same time, however, invasions of Kamtaptur and Tula Nada were launched. The UIP hoped to take as much land early into the offensive as possible in order to keep the element of surprise ongoing. Tula Nada would find itself rather significantly unprepared as while it knew invasion was probably coming, they presumed that they would be last on the agenda of UIP efforts. Both nations would not be able to hold back the advance of the UIP troops, and would fall by the second day of the offensive. Fighting would be heavy in some areas of the two nations, but overall not much resistance would be encountered by UIP forces. By the end of the first week of the expanded offensive, Tula Nada, Bodoland and Kamtapur would all be under UIP control, with relatively small loses on the UIP side.

Bloody Offensives
For the first time since the occupation of the area, a direct land link with Arunanchal Pradesh was established through captured territories. The UIP considered this a major success and it was hailed as being a well executed operation so far. However, the job was not done. The remaining states knew that their turn would come sooner, and each of the small nations saw their individual mobilizations. They planned to wage a solely defensive war and prepared to defend their cities and villages with everything they had.

The UIP moved on from Bodoland after securing it, and amassed their troops on that former state's south and eastern frontiers. After a short buildup, they invaded Assam and Achikland simultaneously. Artillery was used to destroy many of the enemy positions near the border, which enabled UIP forces swift access into the two respective "countries". The fighting was intense, and the UIP did sustain some losses, yet the offensive marched forward, with a supporting attack from Arunanchal Pradesh helping to hit the flank of Assam's forces. The militias of both nations were destroyed in the fighting.

The UIP knew the final attacks would not be so easy. As such, the Air Force was to be used more extensively to help attack enemy positions and bomb out strategic enemy bases make make the job easier for the army. Following this decision, Nagaland was invaded using a classic pincer movement, driving their forces toward the center of the nation and making their flanks vulnerable to attack. An attack straight into the nation finished off the offensive into the state. The UIP took relatively light causalities due to superior strategic planning despite heavy fighting in the capital of Nagaland, Kohima.

From here, the UIP would move their focus southward and invade Dimasaland successfully. It was seen as a weaker target than Manipur. and with superior numbers and planning on their side, progress was swift. Many towns lacked any soldiers to defend them, and it seemed to be because the militia had given up. This was proved wrong as UIP forces were ambushed at a valley by what seemed to be most of the Dimasaland militia. The fighting would be heavy, and losses great. The UIP forces contemplated retreating temporailly, in order to bring up heavy weapons - but air support saved them. Helicopters were able to provide covering fire for the troops moving to secure new positions while ground attack aircraft bombed the enemy positions. In the end, Dimasan forces were wiped out from the area, and the UIP could claim victory.

Slow Road to Victory
The UIP troops could begin sensing that total victory was close. And they were not wrong.

The attack on Manipur commenced at dawn, starting with a diversionary attack to the south. While the militias, anxious after the previous days, were lured south, UIP forces launched a pincer strike from the north and west. Though the former met almost no resistance, the latter met a series of ambushes along their way, losing several soldiers each time. However, after the first day the two pincers had met up, having taken most of the nation. The militias, however, were still fighting in the south, so the UIP forces launched an attack from the north, sending in ground attack planes and troops through towns, punching through their defenses. As the Manipur militia fought back, the force in the south sent up attack and transport helicopters, qucikly cleaning up resistance, such that by noon the second day just a few pockets of resistance remained, that were eliminated during the following days.

Simultaneously, the state of Tripura was attacked. Starting with an aerial bombardment, UIP troops attacked from the north, while paratroopers came in via helicopters in the south, capturing towns while the militias were busy fighting. After securing the border in the south, another force came in from the east, surrounding the militias. After 2 days of fighting, the militias had been defeated but a few towns remaining defiant. However, these were swiftly pacified.

International Reactions

 * Naam Tamilar 1.jpg - The government of Tamil Nadu has heavily condemned the invasion, calling it another move of blatant UIP Imperialism. T. P. M. Mohideen Khan criticized the move heavily and demanded the SAC aid to the UIP be halted. They have also opened their borders to the "rightful" governments of the area, pledging to host all refugees from the "tyranny" of the Union Parliament.
 * Flag of Andhra Pradesh.png -  Andhra Pradesh strongly condemned the war, issuing a joint statement with Tamil Nadu. They also offered refuge to the surviving governments of the invaded states, describing the UIP as a 'tyranny' and a 'monstrosity'
 * Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Union of Sovereign Socialist Republics- The leader of the USSR, Aman Tuleyev, announced his approval of the UIP's attack, which he called "reclamation of rogue states within India". He also stated that the USSR's "southern brothers" had his full political support in this conflict.