Dhaka surrender pic out from Army Chief’s office, Cong slams govt

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government for “belittling the memory” of the 1971 war heroes by shifting a famous photo that depicted the signing of documents after the surrender of the Pakistan army in Dhaka.

The new painting that has replaced the war photo displays tanks and religious symbols. The war photo has been shifted from the office of the Army Chief in South Block to the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment.

“The government should have at least shown some respect to the memory of war heroes like Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Lt Gen JS Aurora (seen in the iconic photo) and other officers of the armed forces before taking such a step,” Priyanka said.

The Wayanad MP said she wanted to raise the issue on Vijay Diwas during Zero Hour, but was not allowed to speak. Vijay Diwas marks India’s victory in the 1971 India-Pakistan war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

She said, “I wanted to point out that when no nation was willing to help East Pakistan, it was only the then PM Indira Gandhi who came forward to help. It was under her leadership that Bangladesh was created on Vijay Diwas.”

Later in the Lok Sabha, Culture Minister Gajendra Shekhawat said the photo had been placed at “the most befitting place in the Manekshaw Centre”, and one should not politicise such issues. The photo was earlier installed in the meeting lounge at the office of the Indian Army Chief on the first floor of the South Block, the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence.

Last week, its replacement with a painting had caused a furore among veterans with several questioning the need to remove the photo. On December 16, 1971, Pakistan army’s AAK Niazi signed the instrument of surrender in Dhaka after the 13-day India-Pakistan war. This resulted in the surrender of over 93,000 soldiers and the Pakistan army’s capitulation against Indian forces was complete. Priyanka Gandhi said, “Today, when people of the Hindu and other minority communities are being harassed in Bangladesh, the government should raise its voice against the atrocities and hold talks with them.”