The Punjab Ribbon

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Everyone,

I am quite excited to have just added a Punjab Ribbon to my collection. The ribbon seems to be a plasticised cloth-like material with the black sections applied. The reverse side of the ribbon is white its manufacture being a lot like the High Altitude Medal Ribbon that I posted earlier.

The Punjab Ribbon was awarded to security forces for service in "Operation Bluestar" in the Punjab, India. My research has also suggested that this ribbon was used on the Garaj Star awarded for "Operation Black Thunder". I was going to give a short history of these two operations but then thought better of it as I was worried that it could get political very quickly. You should take the time to go to Google, or whatever search engine you use, and type in Operation Bluestar and Operation Black Thunder for more information. It is a very interesting period of history.

There is no medal that I am aware of for Operation Bluestar and there were only four Garaj Stars ever produced. The ribbon is seen on the undress ribbon bar and never as a suspension ribbon.

Many thanks to Ed Haynes for all of his research, which I have stolen for this post without asking.

For more information on the Punjab Ribbon see:

http://haynese.winthrop.edu/india/medals/indmed.html

For more on the Garja Star see the GMIC's section on South Asia: Militaria & History, type Garaj Star into the search area and away you go.

Cheers

Brian

[Ed_Haynes]

Right-oh, the Garaj Star.

See: http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14729

The "Suraksha" clasp for the Special Service Medal covers "Blue Star", but the Garaj Star is just for "Black Thunder". A very restricted issue.

I have it on good authority that some day a book will be issued that addresses this rarity. Amost always, it is just worn on the ribbon bar, but some very brave (= foolish) folks.