#VijayDiwas is celebrated every year on 16th December in India and Bangladesh with pomp and show to celebrate the victory of Indian army over Pakistan and independence of Bangladesh. India also commemorates this day to remember the martyrs, who laid their life in 1971 war between India and Pakistan. On this day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces consists of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini (also known as the Bangladesh Forces), led by General Jagjit Singh Arora, of India in the Ramna Race Course, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka after their defeat in the war. In the nation’s capital New Delhi, the Indian Minister of Defence and heads of all three wings of the Indian armed forces pay homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in New Delhi as well as in the National Military Memorial, Bangalore.
Some of the important facts –
– The war between India and Pakistan began on December 3 lasted for 13 days and officially ended on December 16, when Pakistan surrendered to India.
– #VijayDiwas is important because in just 13 days, Indian forces, which included the Air Force, Para Troopers, Ground Force and Navy, made Dhaka independent.
– Over 3800 soldiers of India and Pakistan sacrificed their lives to end the genocide perpetuated by Pakistan on the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
– India ensured the independence of Bangladesh from the clutches of tyrant Pakistani establishment through this war.
– A conflict between the dominant West Pakistanis and the majority East Pakistanis came to an end with war.
– In this war Pakistan lost more than half of its population and emancipation of nearly one-third of its army in captivity.
– The war was politically started in March 1971 and escalated to army involvement in December 1971.
– A campaign of rape, torture, killings and conflicts conducted by Pakistan against the Bengali population of East Pakistan.
– The genocide forced around nine million refugees to find refuge in India.
– General Tikka Khan earned the nickname as ‘Butcher of Bengal’ because of widespread killing he committed on people of Bangladesh (formerly known as East Pakistan). He was also known as the ‘Butcher of Balochistan’ for slaughtering the Baloch people.
– The pre-emptive strike of Pakistan on December 3, 1971, on 11 airfields in north-western India, including Agra, which was 480 kilometres away from the border, prompted India to give apt reply to Pakistan.
– Following the strike from Pakistan, the Indian government ordered mobilization of troops and giving the befitting reply.
– Though Pakistan attacked several places on India’s western border with Pakistan but Indian armed forces held these posts successfully.
– The Indian Army quickly responded to the Pakistan Army’s movements in the west and captured around 15,010 kilometres of Pakistan’s territory.
– The Pakistani forces stationed at East Pakistan surrendered before Indian Army on 16th December, 1971.
