The Boyra Boys: When the Indian Air Force Drew First Blood in 1971

To understand Boyra, one must first recall the Battle of Garibpur, fought just two days earlier on 20–21 November. Indian troops from the 14 Punjab Regiment and Mukti Bahini forces had crossed into East Pakistan to capture the strategic village of Garibpur, which lay near the Jessore–Khulna road. The battle turned fierce as Pakistani Patton and Chaffee tanks counterattacked, but Indian PT-76 amphibious tanks, aided by excellent fieldcraft, held firm and destroyed a dozen enemy tanks.

The success at Garibpur rattled the Pakistan Army, which quickly called for close air support from the PAF. Their No. 14 Squadron, known as the “Tail Choppers”, flew the sleek North American F-86 Sabre jets from Tejgaon air base near Dhaka. For the Indian Air Force, the responsibility of countering them fell to No. 22 Squadron—the “Swifts”—operating the nimble Folland Gnat, assembled by HAL in India.

To understand how the Boyra air battle unfolded, it helps to visualise the eastern front in late November 1971. The map below shows the Indian and Pakistani deployments near Garibpur and Boyra, where the first clashes occurred even before the war was officially declared.

These Gnats, already famous from the 1965 war, where they earned the nickname “Sabre Slayers”, were stationed at Dum Dum and Kalaikunda. The IAF’s radar unit at Barrackpore kept a constant watch, anticipating that the PAF would not let Garibpur go unanswered. They were right.

At 14:48 hours on 22 November, radar controllers detected three Sabres crossing into Indian airspace near Boyra. Within minutes, four Gnats scrambled from Dum Dum under Flt Lt Roy Andrew “Mouse” Massey as formation leader, with Flt Lt MA “Gun” Ganapathy, Fg Offr Donald “Don” Lazarus, and Fg Offr SF “Su” Soares in support. In the control van, Fg Offr KB Bagchi vectored them toward the intruders with remarkable precision.

The PAF Sabres—flown by Wg Cdr Afzal “Masroor” Chaudhry, Flt Lt Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi, and Fg Offr Khaleel Ahmed—were already in a dive, strafing Indian ground troops and Mukti Bahini positions. Suddenly, the Gnats appeared like silver darts from the west.

The image below shows an F-86 Sabre, the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force, with its typical combat loadout used during the 1971 war.

What followed was a dogfight that lasted less than three minutes but would echo for decades.

Massey climbed, rolled, and dropped behind the leading Sabre, while Ganapathy and Lazarus locked onto the other two. The Gnats’ small size and agility made them almost invisible in the haze. Firing short, sharp bursts from their twin 30-mm ADEN cannons, the Indians tore into the Pakistani formation.

Over the radio crackled the brevity code that became immortal in IAF lore—“Murder, Murder, Murder”.

Within seconds, one Sabre exploded into flames; another spun out of control. Qureshi and Khaleel ejected safely, landing on Indian soil, where they were quickly captured by troops of 14 Punjab. The third Sabre, flown by Chaudhry, limped back to Tejgaon riddled with holes. The Gnats, having accomplished their mission, returned safely to base.

It was over almost before it began. In those fiery three minutes, the IAF had drawn first blood.

What made Boyra extraordinary was not just the speed or skill of the encounter, but the fact that it unfolded before the eyes of thousands. The battle occurred near populated border villages, and residents on both sides watched as the Sabres and Gnats duelled overhead. The captured Pakistani pilots, their parachutes still singed, were presented to the media in Kolkata the very next day.

Photographs of the wrecked Sabres and their young captors appeared in newspapers across India and the world. The press christened the victorious pilots “The Boyra Boys”.

For the first time, the public saw proof that Indian pilots could dominate in the air. The victory had a profound psychological effect, boosting the morale of both Indian forces and Mukti Bahini fighters preparing for the larger campaign to liberate Bangladesh.

Each member of the Boyra team played a defining role. Flt Lt Roy Massey, the cool-headed leader, was credited with mauling the lead Sabre and orchestrating the intercept. Ganapathy and Lazarus scored confirmed kills, demonstrating pinpoint marksmanship and fearless aggression. Soares, maintaining cover and formation discipline, ensured that no Gnat was lost. And Bagchi, guiding them from the radar scope, stitched the encounter together with calm efficiency.

All four pilots were awarded the Vir Chakra, while Bagchi received the Vayu Sena Medal.

In a twist of fate, one of the captured Pakistani pilots—Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi—would later become Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force in the late 1990s. Years later, Lazarus reportedly sent him a letter of goodwill—an emblem of mutual respect between warriors who had once fought on opposite sides of history.

The Boyra encounter had a ripple effect far beyond the immediate victory. Tactically, it showed that the IAF’s forward radar coverage and quick-reaction capability in the east were solid. The PAF, wary after losing two aircraft so early, began avoiding daylight missions near the border. This allowed Indian troops to consolidate ground gains with less fear of air interdiction.

Strategically, it sent a clear message: India would not allow Pakistani air dominance in the east. When Pakistan launched Operation Chengiz Khan—its pre-emptive air strikes on 3 December that formally began the war—the IAF was already confident and combat-proven. Within days, Indian air operations would sweep across East Pakistan, destroying airfields and securing near-total air superiority, paving the way for the fall of Dhaka on 16 December 1971.

More than fifty years later, “Boyra Day” is still celebrated by the Indian Air Force every 22 November. The dogfight remains a textbook example of effective air defence, teamwork, and tactical brilliance.

Soon after the victory, Defence Minister Shri Babu Jagjivan Ram and his wife visited the victorious aircrew—fondly called the Sabre Slayers—to congratulate them in person. In a memorable photograph from that day, Air Mshl HC Dewan, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, is seen standing on the aircraft ladder, while Wg Cdr B.S. Sikand, Commanding Officer of No. 22 Squadron, sits proudly beside the cockpit. The image captures not just the triumph of the Boyra Boys but also the national pride that radiated from their success.

The Folland Gnat—once derided as “too small to matter”—proved again that size was no measure of lethality. Its simplicity and speed were perfect for the kind of short, intense combat that characterised Boyra. The courage of the pilots, flying at tree-top level into the unknown, encapsulated the spirit of an air force that was ready to fight and win.

From the muddy fields of Garibpur to the roaring skies over Boyra, the story of those few minutes in November 1971 captures the essence of courage under fire. The Boyra Boys didn’t just win an air battle—they changed the tempo of a campaign and the confidence of a nation.

Their victory showed that skill, preparation, and audacity could trump numbers and machines. When the Gnats roared home to Dum Dum that afternoon, trailing victory vapour rather than smoke, they carried with them more than just triumph—they carried the promise of freedom for millions in Bangladesh and a reminder of how history can turn in the blink of an eye.

The Boyra Boys remain immortal in the annals of the IAF, symbols of precision, bravery, and the fierce clarity of purpose that defines heroes in combat.

Also read: Indian Air Force Through the Decades: Evolution of India’s Air Power