The Sinking of Ins Khukri - Survivor's Stories, Paperback Book, By: Maj. Gen Ian Cardozo

The events of that fateful days began on December, when Indian intelligence detected the transmission signals emerging from Hangor. The 14th Frigate Squadron, which included the Kirpan, Khukri, and Kuthar, was notified. The Hangor picked up sonar transmissions from two of the Squadron ships. At 7 PM, on December 9, Hangor positioned itself in Khukri s path. At 7:57 PM, Hangor fired a torpedo towards Kirpan, which failed to blast. Kirpan detected this on her radar, and sent anti-submarine mortars towards Hangor. Khukri, on the other hand speeded up towards Hangor, who fired the torpedo which eventually sunk Khukri. Kirpan returned and attacked Hangor, who sent another torpedo towards Kirpan. Kirpan escaped, and returned with INS Katchal to retrieve any survivors from Khukri. After being struck by the torpedo, INS Khukri, sank within two minutes. Along with the ship sinking, eighteen officers and a hundred and seventy six soldiers lost their lives. The captain of INS Khukri, Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, refused to leave his ship, and therefore gave his life jacket to a junior officer, and subsequently went down with the ship. This is the defining moment which forms the basis of Major General Ian Cardozo s The Sinking Of INS Khukri - Survivors Stories. He provides insight into the tragedy by providing personal accounts from relatives of survivors. By doing so, Cardozo adds a human element to this calamity. Disputes and discrepancies lie between what really occurred, and what was revealed. The author attempts to capture this element in his book. For instance, it is still unclear how many torpedoes actually sunk the ship. Controversy still exists about the responsibility of the naval officers on board the INS Khukri.