A war started and lasted for 13 days from December 3, 1971. Yet, the war ended officially on 16 December 1971, later to which Pakistan surrendered themselves to the Indian Armed forces. Chief of the Pakistan Army, General AA Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the Indian Army Commander Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora in Dhaka and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahani. This is the reason, the people of the country celebrate this day as Vijay Diwas or victory day.
There are lots of people who are not aware of the significance of the day, but it’s a day for which every Indian feel proud.
In 2019, with a tweet, PM Modi had stated, “I salute the bravery, courage, and valor of Indian soldiers on Vijay Diwas. The history that was made by our armed forces on this day in 1971 will always be engraved in the golden letters.”
What happened actually on 16th December 1971?
- Before 1971, Bangladesh was combined in Pakistan and was known as “East Pakistan”.
- It is believed that people residing in “East Pakistan” were ill-treated. They were exploited, beaten, raped, and even murdered by the Pakistan Army.
- Therefore, India supported East Pakistan against the despotism of the army.
- There was immense discontentment against General Ayub Khan, the ruler of the Pakistan military in East Pakistan.
- On December 3, 1971, the Indian army declared war against the Pak to save East Pakistan.
- The war was battled under the direction of Field Marshal Manekshaw and more than 1400 Indian soldiers were martyred in this war.
- But on December 16, 1971, 13 days later, over 93000 Pak soldiers surrendered to the Indian army in Dhaka.
Where it was a big day for Bangladesh because of being separated from Pakistan, it was also a big moment for India. Since it was the first battle after World War II that India had won positively.
