Vijay Diwas – 16 December

Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 16th December to commemorate the victory of India over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. This day is marked to honor the martyrs of 1971 who laid their life to led Indian forces to victory and the creation of independent Bangladesh.

The anniversary of Vijay Diwas is observed across India by paying tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the nation. In New Delhi, the Indian Minister of Defence and heads of all three wings of Indian armed forces pay homage at India Gate to the Amar Jawan Jyoti as well as in Bangalore’s National Military Memorial.

Some of the important facts of Vijay Diwas are:

The battle that gave independence to Bangladesh in 1971 ended on 16th December.
India ensured the independence of Bangladesh from the clutches of tyrant Pakistani establishment through this war.
Vijay Diwas is important because in just 13 days, Indian forces, which included the Air Force, Para Troopers, Ground Force, and Navy, made Dhaka independent.
ADVERTISEMENT
The war was politically started in March 1971 and escalated to army involvement in December 1971.
A campaign of rape, torture, killings, and conflicts was conducted by Pakistan against the Bengali population of East Pakistan.
General Tikka Khan earned the nickname as ‘Butcher of Bengal’ because of the widespread killing he committed on the 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 kilometers away from the border, prompted India to give an apt reply to Pakistan.
Over 3800 soldiers of India and Pakistan sacrificed their lives to end the genocide perpetrated by Pakistan on the people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
The Pakistani forces stationed at East Pakistan surrendered before the Indian Army on 16th December 1971. A ceasefire was signed and the war leads to the formation of Bangladesh.