There is a saying, 'There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and then there is statistics'.
This is not a game of statistics in which you want to prove that what is possible and what is not; our purpose should be to sift the facts from the myth. Here is another way of finding how the myth was created. These are excerpts from the book 'Behind the Myth of 3 Million'. Keep an eye on the dates:
A Myth in the making – Rising Death Toll
Free Bengal Radio's figure – 300. 000
Up to 10 December 1971, Awami League leaders, few of whom ever ventured out to face the Pakistan Army and most of whom had reportedly spent their Indian sojourn in enjoyment with their friends and families had been circulating an estimated casualty figure of 300,000, through the 'Swadhin Bangla Betar' (Free Bengal Radio Station – operated out of Calcutta). M.R.Akhtar Mukul, who as the head of the' Swadhin Bangla Betar' had been regularly disseminating out the three hundred thousand figure up to 10 December 1971. Even years later Awami League's Vice President, Zahirul Qayyum, would implicitly contest the myth of three million by pointing to this estimate broadcasted by the official organ of the Bangladesh Government in exile.
M.R.Akhtar Mukul in his book of recollection ‘Ami Bijoy Dekhechi’ (I Have Seen Victory) he piously authenticated the 1 million casualty toll without ever mentioning his old vaunted death toll of 300,000.
Indian Establishment's figure – 1 Million
Indian Govt., military establishment consistently maintained a figure of 1 million deaths.
Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw expressed utter incredulity at the figure of three million.
Lt Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora said that 'all of us knew' that the Pakistan Army had brutally killed 'about a million people'. He pointed out that Mujib's figure was 'absolutely impossible', because the Pakistan Army had 'simultaneously fought within the country and at the borders'.
On January 7, 1972 – Press Trust of India quoted Sheikh Abdul Aziz, the communications Minister of Bagladesh that provisional estimate of total number of deaths was 1 Million.
In his book 'The Blood Telegram', Gary Bass (who is clearly tilted towards India and Bangladesh) writes: The Indian government estimated the Bengali civilian death toll at between thirty thousand and a million, with the sober-minded Indian ambassador at the United Nations reckoning the total at roughly one hundred thousand.
Sheikh Mujib's Figures – 1 Million, then 3 Million
On January 8, 1972 – in London Sheikh Mujib claimed 1 million deaths.
On January 10, 1972 – at his arrival to Dacca, the figure had changed to 3 million deaths.
On January 18, 1972 – In an interview with David Frost he again quoted 3 million deaths.
Note that on 8th of January, Sheikh Mujib was quoting the same figure given by Indian Army which was accepted by Oriana Fallaci. but then, he just raised the figures on his arrival to Dacca on January 10, 1972; that is an increase of 1 Million per day.
So, death toll rose by three-fold (1 Million to 3 Million) to ten-fold (300,000 to 3 Million) in a matter of three or four weeks (i.e. from Dec. 10 1971 – Jan. 10, 1972) ,during most of which the ‘culprit’ Pakistan Army had been under Indian custody.
The obvious question is that in a completely anarchic situation - when all the government structures had broken down, all communications infrastructure was dislocated, Bangladesh government was still in Calcutta, even the Indian Army was busy dealing with Bengali people and Prisoners of War – who had the time and means to go and gather data and come out with a figure so early.
Where Lies the Truth, Then?
We have been provided with a glimpse of the truth by an important body like the Bangladesh International Institute of Strategic Studies. Writing in the October 1993 issue of its Journal, Abdur Rab Khan, Senior Researcher of the Institute has shown that eight hundred thousand people had sacrificed their lives during the prolonged struggle for the creation of Pakistan. As against this, during Indo-Pakistan war leading to the creation of Bangladesh 11,000 soldiers on both sides were killed. During the period of civil war between the Pakistan Army and the Bangladeshi rebels prior to the war itself, a total of 50,000 lives were lost.
This is not a game of statistics in which you want to prove that what is possible and what is not; our purpose should be to sift the facts from the myth. Here is another way of finding how the myth was created. These are excerpts from the book 'Behind the Myth of 3 Million'. Keep an eye on the dates:
A Myth in the making – Rising Death Toll
Free Bengal Radio's figure – 300. 000
Up to 10 December 1971, Awami League leaders, few of whom ever ventured out to face the Pakistan Army and most of whom had reportedly spent their Indian sojourn in enjoyment with their friends and families had been circulating an estimated casualty figure of 300,000, through the 'Swadhin Bangla Betar' (Free Bengal Radio Station – operated out of Calcutta). M.R.Akhtar Mukul, who as the head of the' Swadhin Bangla Betar' had been regularly disseminating out the three hundred thousand figure up to 10 December 1971. Even years later Awami League's Vice President, Zahirul Qayyum, would implicitly contest the myth of three million by pointing to this estimate broadcasted by the official organ of the Bangladesh Government in exile.
M.R.Akhtar Mukul in his book of recollection ‘Ami Bijoy Dekhechi’ (I Have Seen Victory) he piously authenticated the 1 million casualty toll without ever mentioning his old vaunted death toll of 300,000.
Indian Establishment's figure – 1 Million
Indian Govt., military establishment consistently maintained a figure of 1 million deaths.
Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw expressed utter incredulity at the figure of three million.
Lt Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora said that 'all of us knew' that the Pakistan Army had brutally killed 'about a million people'. He pointed out that Mujib's figure was 'absolutely impossible', because the Pakistan Army had 'simultaneously fought within the country and at the borders'.
On January 7, 1972 – Press Trust of India quoted Sheikh Abdul Aziz, the communications Minister of Bagladesh that provisional estimate of total number of deaths was 1 Million.
In his book 'The Blood Telegram', Gary Bass (who is clearly tilted towards India and Bangladesh) writes: The Indian government estimated the Bengali civilian death toll at between thirty thousand and a million, with the sober-minded Indian ambassador at the United Nations reckoning the total at roughly one hundred thousand.
Sheikh Mujib's Figures – 1 Million, then 3 Million
On January 8, 1972 – in London Sheikh Mujib claimed 1 million deaths.
On January 10, 1972 – at his arrival to Dacca, the figure had changed to 3 million deaths.
On January 18, 1972 – In an interview with David Frost he again quoted 3 million deaths.
Note that on 8th of January, Sheikh Mujib was quoting the same figure given by Indian Army which was accepted by Oriana Fallaci. but then, he just raised the figures on his arrival to Dacca on January 10, 1972; that is an increase of 1 Million per day.
So, death toll rose by three-fold (1 Million to 3 Million) to ten-fold (300,000 to 3 Million) in a matter of three or four weeks (i.e. from Dec. 10 1971 – Jan. 10, 1972) ,during most of which the ‘culprit’ Pakistan Army had been under Indian custody.
The obvious question is that in a completely anarchic situation - when all the government structures had broken down, all communications infrastructure was dislocated, Bangladesh government was still in Calcutta, even the Indian Army was busy dealing with Bengali people and Prisoners of War – who had the time and means to go and gather data and come out with a figure so early.
Where Lies the Truth, Then?
We have been provided with a glimpse of the truth by an important body like the Bangladesh International Institute of Strategic Studies. Writing in the October 1993 issue of its Journal, Abdur Rab Khan, Senior Researcher of the Institute has shown that eight hundred thousand people had sacrificed their lives during the prolonged struggle for the creation of Pakistan. As against this, during Indo-Pakistan war leading to the creation of Bangladesh 11,000 soldiers on both sides were killed. During the period of civil war between the Pakistan Army and the Bangladeshi rebels prior to the war itself, a total of 50,000 lives were lost.
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