1971 Mukti Bahini war documents lost! [Archive] - Siasat.pk Forums
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1971 Mukti Bahini war documents lost! (
http://www.untoldfacts.com/south-asia/1971-mukti-bahini-war-documents-lost/)
Incredible
Unbelievable! Incredible! Four decades or nearly 39 years have gone by this time for Bangladeshis to know the news is a fishy matter. Possibly it would have remained in the dark for another long time, how long difficult to imagine, had there been no program for reception for the freedom fighters of Bangladesh in Kolkata would be planned.
Evidences
The Times of India (TOI) published the news of destroyed documents at Calcutta (now Kolkata) Head Quarters at the Fort William soon after the war ended. General Jacob came to know about shredding the files with all documents as he enquired for the documents soon after he joined as the Eastern Command Chief in August 1974. That was 36 years ago. He kept the information to himself for all these years to disclose it now, not voluntarily but otherwise. But as the BBC Bengali Service Radio reporting from Kolkata on the 9th May aired an observation of another retired General about shredding off the documents. That was not covered in the TOI 9 May news. This General stated that the classified documents possibly had many facts that might in future seriously harm India - Pakistan relations, if declassified later on, and so were destroyed under order from Delhi. He did not elaborate neither did General Jacob say anything further.
Be these facts as are by now known in sketchy detail we may have some clues into the truth of the incredible matter whatever was published. The May 9 TOI issue had the news like this: The history of the 1971 India Pakistan war will never be fully written. Most of the official records of the war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh have been destroyed
Authoritative Army sources said all records held at the Eastern Command in Kolkata, were destroyed immediately after the war. The 11 May TOI news further added, Senior army officers serving and retired are not surprised that official records of the 1971 war have been destroyed, particularly those related to the creation of Mukti Bahini
The records would have revealed the involvement of the Indian Army in then East Pakistan much before the war had been officially declared in December 1971
.it must have been under instruction from the government.
Delhi asked Kolkata
Delhi asked Calcutta to destroy the documents immediately after the war ended on the 16th December 1971 in matters of raising the Mukti Bahini or freedom fighters in many camps spread all over India, organization by Indian army units for their training to fight the Pakistan army inside East Pakistan, putting the Mukti Bahini in combative action, particularly, during March to December 1971, etc. The thesis advanced being that those documents, if made known to Pakistan at any time afterwards, would have adverse effects and might deteriorate relations between the two enemy neighbors at daggers drawn since the very days of 1947 and now going on in the same pattern for over 62 years since then. That was exactly what one retired Lieutenant General then in 1971 a Captain and a Colonel of Indian army who claimed to have been inside Bangladesh long before the war began. This was quite likely, and that is why Delhi asked for their shredding and possibly destroyed for good in bonfire.
Who else but Indira Gandhi
But then the question arises who exactly in Delhi directed Calcutta to do the job and keep that in secrecy for decades. Could it be anybody except the centre of power, the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi? Could the Chief of Army Manekshaw do the elimination bit all on his own the materials being otherwise internationally valuable war documents of 1971? The defense Minister Jagjivan Ram? How could he dare to do so not only being the subordinate one to Indira but also native of the scheduled caste or the untouchable minister? The other point that must come up, was there was any written formal order from Delhi? Thats not known as yet, possibly there were none and no way to know that precisely now for the matter is four decades old and the big players in the Great Game is already gone and passed away to the after world. Because in matters of such delicate issue involving another neighboring sovereign country whose destruction and dismemberment had been the goal of Indian high caste rulers in all likely would not keep any written record of the matter for future to know and make judgment on the PMs psyche, attitude of the Congress and the administration. Because, as is well known it was her serious ego to dismember Pakistan by any means no matter how costly or foul those could have been. One must recall her determination in the matter in her 16th December 1971 evening straight forward comment after the war victory news given in the Parliament speech and brief comment made to the press immediately afterwards in exact verbatim: HAZAR SALO KA BADLA LE LIE- we have avenged the defeat of One thousand years.
Morarji Desai on 71 war
Morarji Desai the then oldest political leader and Deputy and later on Prime Minister of India and Jawaharlals close friend went all way out to state in public so much so that the war had been willed and by provocation engineered by Indira. He further went on to disclose that while the Indian army men in civilian dress had been fighting and five thousand of them gave lives in nine months between March and December 1971 not in formal war but outside declared formal war, the then Chief of Indian army Manekshaw told bluntly to the PM Indira that they must not give lives like that inside East Pakistan; they would prefer to fight in formal war (See, M. Rahman & N. Hasan, Iron Bars of Freedom, London 1980, pp.108-09). These are some of the available facts I have with me; there must have many other facts of more crucial and hegemonic feature that Indira, in particular, had had in view, and so considered appropriate to ask for their elimination from any record or even a trace that could have been there in any formal written order given in any file or in any document whatsoever.
Acrimony with no substance
On the 10th May evening BBC provided some other clues in the matter. The Opposition, particularly the BJP has asked for inquiry and let the people know the truth about the documents fate. This is simply to put fact straight that the Congress had been in Delhis power at that time; Indira had been the P.M. and historic heroine in the Great Game between the two rivals both of whom owe to the long past not only for war, fame and rivalry but also psychological warfare all the time. Had the BJP been then in power and the same thing happened, certainly the Congress now would make the same chorus for inquiry and report open to public. Undoubtedly the row is certain to keep the political air charged with the matter until how long it is difficult to predict at this stage. The issue may be a good point for political show down in the field ahead.
Loser Bangladesh
I am sure Pakistan may take the scope to score some points against Indian hegemony not only for her but also for all other smaller Indian neighbors. Bangladesh seems to incur the biggest loss in terms of self dignity and sovereignty for the main reason that the 1971 war was virtually turned into the India-Pakistan war, India won and Pakistan defeated, having no place of Bangladesh freedom fighters in the war except lip service and eyewash though many had valiantly fought then in 1971. The reception being arranged for the freedom fighters would be no make up of losses of Bangladesh already incurred in the fishy shredding off of the valuable historic documents lost in Kolkata Indian Army Eastern Command Head Quarter amazingly in top secrecy.
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