Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka and Role of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)

Sri Lankan ethnic crisis acquires an unique dimension of it’s own in the context of demographic set up and geo-strategic milieu of the island state of Sri Lanka. The spectrum of the conflict transcend the domestic boundaries and spill over other contiguous state and area i.e. India and South-Asian continent as a whole. The complexities of the issue further expanded with the near involvement of the extra-regional powers and the fear of a far more bigger external dimension was visible in a particular stage of the conflict. In military terms it says that every battle provides an opportunity to test the efficiency of the strategic planning and ability of the fighting force at ground level, and hence, provides an opportunity to correct one’s own mistakes and weaknesses, if any. In this context, the present study acquires some important strategic and other military lessons from IPKF experience in Sri Lanka. And, from the larger perview it also provides a sociological agenda in the realam of a historical evolution based on class relationship which we normally see in many South-Asian and South-East Asian nations. Another aspect provided by this study is the picture of one of the most organised and modernised fighting force of the contemporary Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) in a complex regional/international political chess-board.