RAS question
Indian Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 to commemorate which of the following events?
Correct answer: (B) Operation Trident during the 1971 India-Pakistan War.
Indian Navy Day is celebrated on 4 December to commemorate Operation Trident, the Indian Navy's attack on Karachi harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
Explanation
Indian Navy Day is tied specifically to Operation Trident, not to a general institutional anniversary. The Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence states that the Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on 4 December to commemorate Operation Trident, calling it the audacious attack on Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pak War in 1971. On the night of 4-5 December 1971, the Indian Navy carried out a surprise missile attack on the Pakistani naval headquarters in Karachi. The date therefore marks a decisive wartime naval action and the service's combat achievement, which is why Option B is the only option that fits the commemoration.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) INS Vikrant's commissioning in 1961 is a separate naval milestone, but the Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence links Navy Day on 4 December to Operation Trident, not to that commissioning.
- (C) Navy Day is not explained as the establishment anniversary of the Indian Navy in 1947; the 1971 Operation Trident attack on Karachi harbour is the commemoration.
- (D) The Indian Navy's role in the 1965 War does not match the stated basis of the day, which falls in the 1971 Indo-Pak War through Operation Trident.
Concept
This tests post-Independence military history through national commemorative days linked to specific operations. RAS repeats such facts because they connect dates, wars and institutional memory in a compact, exam-friendly form.