Article Posted on : - Dec 08, 2011

KOLKATA (PTI): The Indian Army will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vijay Diwas, India's victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war, on December 16.

Army has lined up its usual fare of military tattoos and bands at the celebration.

"The Vijay Diwas celebration programmes will be held from December 11 to 16. The military tattoos and band displays will be open to the public on December 11 and 12," Brigadier General Service (Information Warfare) Sekhar Visvanathan told a press conference Wednesday.

The memorial service at the Vijay Smarak would be held on December 16, he said.

Programmes between December 13 and 15 will be open only to the services personnel when war veterans would be felicitated and interactions held, defence sources said.

Besides Lt Gen J F R Jacob, the key man behind the victory in the Bangladesh liberation war, a number of Mahavir Chakra awardees will attend the programmes, they said.

Visvanathan said 22 Bangladeshi Mukti Yoddhas (civilian liberation warriors) will also attend the programme along with three services representatives from that country.

It was on December 16, 1971 that Dhaka, the then capital of East Pakistan, fell to the Indian forces.

Lt Gen A K K Niazi, who was commanding the Pakistani troops in the Eastern theatre, surrendered to the Indian armed forces headed by the then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora.

Niazi also signed the Instrument of Surrender, signaling the birth of Bangladesh.

"Thus, Vijay Diwas will always have a special significance for all of us in the Eastern Command," Visvanathan said.