INS Khanjar and INS Kora make port call at Kolkata to mark Navy Day
The Statesman | 29 November 2025
Eastern Fleet ships INS Khanjar and INS Kora, both frontline guided missile corvettes of the Eastern Naval Command, have docked at Kidderpore Dock since Thursday. Deployed in the Bay of Bengal as part of mission‑based deployments, the ships are visiting Kolkata as part of the Indian Navy’s outreach to citizens during Navy Week Celebrations 2025.
The ships will be stationed in Kolkata till Sunday and are open to the general public.
INS Khanjar, a fourth of the P‑25 class guided missile corvettes is indigenously built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and commissioned on 22 October, 1991. Nicknamed the Grey Ferrari, it is affiliated with the Kumaon and Naga Regiments of the Indian Army and is commanded by Commander Ronie Chowpoo.
INS Kora, a first of the P‑25A class guided missile corvettes, was also made by GRSE and commissioned on 10 August, 1998. Named after the Kora, the national sword of Nepal, the ship is commanded by Commander Chandan Jha.
Both ships operate as integral units of the Eastern Fleet under the operational control of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF). They epitomise the fighting spirit of the Indian Navy, excelling in surface‑to‑surface and surface‑to‑air warfare.
On Saturday, welcoming media persons on board the two corvettes, Commodore Ajay Kumar Yadav, Naval officer-in-charge and commanding officer INS Netaji Subhas, West Bengal reminded all present how the Indian Navy carried out the audacious attack on the port of Karachi in Pakistan and how the navy also targeted erstwhile East Pakistan and West Pakistan in its 1971 operations in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. “These ships are examples of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the presence of these ships symbolises the strides the Indian Navy has taken over the years,” said Commodore Yadav.
The Navy said that the primary roles of these ships is first‑strike offensive capability and protection of India’s Exclusive Economic Zones and guarding harbours and coastal installations. These ships also are part of counter‑piracy and counter‑terrorism operations. The corvettes are fitted with surface‑to‑surface missiles and anti‑aircraft guns, advanced surveillance and electronic warfare sensors and navigational and fire‑control radars.
Today, many NCC cadets visited the ships and took inspiration from them. Yash Tiwari, who is studying at Indian Maritime University and had aspired to be in the defence forces, said. “This is my first visit and the twin ships are the legacy of Indian warships. The visit has motivated me to have my career in the defence forces.
Air force NCC cadets Manab Deb and Sumanta Chanda, who study at Satyen Bose Technical Institute, said: “This visit has helped us know in detail about the ships, this also let us meet the naval officers and the weapons they use for combat in the sea. We are motivated to be like them.”