Birth of Bangladesh – Part III By Jayantha Somasundaram (Continued from December 22) In the aftermath of the 1857 Indian Mutiny, when over50 percent of the 130,000 Indian Sepoys joined the uprising against the British East India Company, the theory of ‘martial races’ was developed by Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian […]
1971 : The Race to Dacca thecitizen.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thecitizen.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Updated Dec 16, 2020 | 06:32 IST
The war had become inevitable after Pakistan launched a genocidal campaign against Bengalis in East Pakistan and millions of refugees fled into India. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw with senior Army officers (Photo courtesy ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY/Twitter)
Key Highlights
PM Indira Gandhi asked the Chief of Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw to get ready for war while she herself launched a diplomatic charm offensive in world capitals
Mukti Bahni fighters from East Pakistan were trained by India and fought against the brutal Pakistani army
Realising that Pakistan was heading for disaster, the U.S. Seventh Fleet dispatched its Task Force 74 to the Bay of Bengal