Supermarine Spitfire. Asian Users, part three. India.

 

The first Spitfires that saw service with the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) were three Mk.Vc Trop which were assigned to No.4 Squadron RIAF in August 1943. One Mk.Vc Trop is known to have served as well with No.1 Service Flying Training School in 1946. 
In late 1944 the Supermarine Spitfire was provided to the No.8 Squadron of the Royal Indian Air Force. Most of those machines came from Royal Air Force's (RAF) squadrons that were stationed in India during World War 2. However, most of RIAF's squadrons were not equipped with the Spitfire until June 1945 and their RAF serials were not overpainted with Indian Air Force's serials until 1947 when India achieved independence. 
Indian Spitfires barely saw any action during World War 2, although some sources claim they were sporadically employed in the ground support role. 
In June 1945 Nos.17, 81, 131 and 615 squadrons RAF that were stationed in India at the end of World War 2, were disbanded with their Spitfires being loaned to the RIAF, equipping some squadrons or reserve units. 
When British India was split in two, the Spitfires were employed by Air Flying School (India) and No.1 Photo Reconnaissance Flights of the RIAF during the opening months of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-1948 in the defence of the Kashmir valley in October-November 1947 at the battles of Badgam and Shelatang. It was during this conflict that the RIAF/IAF sought to rapidly expand their fighter force in late December 1947 by using Spitfires, however, the RIAF/IAF had already acquired some Hawker Tempest which were put to good use in that conflict. 
The Spitfire's career with both the RIAF and the IAF was limited to serve as an advanced trainer and they were phased out in 1955, with some PR version serving with No.14  Squadron IAF until 1957/1958. 
As India was, together with Hong Kong, one of the last user of the Spitfire and the take over by the RIAF/IAF and their reserialization was rather chaotic, the information about the Indian Spitfire is rather scarce, contradictory and confuse.
In total 159 Spitfires of various marks served with either the RIAF or the IAF from 1943 until 1958.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#India
2nd https://www.warbirds.in/overseas/spitfires/supermarine-spitfires/#:~:text=The%20IAF%20was%20one%20of,in%20the%20HS—batch).