A 13-days war, millions of reshuffled lives, intense patriotism, and the victory that created history. The Indian Army had been and is always instrumental in maintaining our nation’s peace and sovereignty. Indian army – the word itself commands respect, diction, and discipline. Their immense contribution can never be described by words but can be felt within the heart. Just as you can never describe or thank your father for protecting you, in the same way, you can never express gratitude to our brave Indian Army. The force and strength of the Indian Army proved to be the saviour for the Bangladesh liberation. This etched a landmark event in the history of defence forces.
Much later the partition, West Pakistan persisted in mass atrocities on the minority Bengali community. The deliberate social and economic thwart on the Hindu Bengali by the Pakistani forces lead to the exodus of millions of refugees taking shelter in India. The then Indian Government opened their arms wide to shelter the vulnerable.
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All the three forms of Army were deployed for the operation, and this was the biggest ever amalgamation of the three forces to fight in unison. The Pakistan Air forces also challenged the Indian Army with 5 airstrikes only to give a full impetus to the war. Let us travel to the most important happenings of the then battle where our brave Indian soldiers did not just prove to be efficient but they gave their heart to protect anything Right.
The Battle of Hilli:
An Army’s real spirit is known well during times of combat. The gallantry act of the Indian soldiers in the Bangladesh liberation during the 1971 Indo-Pak war has scratched the memories of nationalism. Indian Army was all set out to capture Bogra intending to cut off the Pakistani forces in the North from the rest of East Pakistan. The battle was accomplished in two phases but there was a huge causality in the Indian Army. It was only 24 years after India’s Independence that such a big scale battle was fought only to emerge victoriously. The fortitude of the soldiers forced the Pakistan forces to surrender.
Battle of Atgram Complex:
Here, 5 Gorkha Rifles fought against 31 Punjab Pakistan forces where apart from bravery exceptional planning and meticulous execution shallowed the opponent’s will and the post fell. Atgram being one of the vital communications points, the Gorkha Rifles decided to attack at the dawn break, and they were successful by attacking with a Khurki assault. The Pakistan forces were taken aback and that broke their will to win. Indian Army’s dream to capture Atgram was a reality.
Tangail Airdrop:
2 Para along with 17 Para Field Regiments deployed over 5000 paratroopers dropping air bombs on Tangail to capture the Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna River and cut off the 93 Pakistan Infantry Brigade. The Pakistan forces were defending Dhaka which was the main target for the Indian defence forces. The successful airdrops implanted a psychological fear amidst the Pakistani forces leading to the early fall of Dhaka.
There are many such small battles within the 1971 Indo-Pak war that inflicted heavily on the Pakistan Army. The valour with which the Indian Army and its various Regiments have shown can be rarely envisaged. This was the largest military capitulation after World War II. India’s support to the Bengali community of East Pakistan not only helped the liberation movement of Bangladesh but also proved to the World that the Indian Army is not just a name but an industry in itself.
The moment of mass surrender by Pakistani forces in Bangladesh before the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, the former being old and the later new, was the hour of pride and carnival. For India, then just after its liberation from the British forces, bearing the cost of War and millions of refugees were burdensome. This was critically looked after by many, but the power of the Indian Army to combat successfully gave the costs a worthy of expenditure.
