Operation Dissolution (1983: Doomsday)

The UIP 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 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.

By nightfall on the third day of the expanded offensive, most of Bodoland had been occupied, and by the next morning, whatever forces that were left had surrendered. Some resistance would be encountered for a few days to come, but this would be overcome fairly easily.

At the same time, however, invasions of Kamtaptur and Tula Nada were launched. 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. By the end of the first week of the expanded offensive, Tula Nada, Bodoland and Kamtapur would all be under UIP control.

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.

International Reactions

 * Naam Tamilar 1.jpg - The government of Tamil Nadu has heavily condemned the invasion, calling it another move of balant UIP Imperialism.
 * Flag of Andhra Pradesh.png -
 * 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.