Indian Navy's Crucial Role in Bangladesh's Birth and Beyond
As Bangladesh celebrates Victory Day, marking the defeat of the Pakistan Armed Forces in the 1971 Liberation War, Sputnik India looks back at the key role played by the Indian Navy in its liberation.
SputnikThe Indian Navy played a crucial role in Bangladesh's independence struggle against Pakistan and its post-war reconstruction, without influencing the newborn nation's decisions, Indian naval veterans have stated. The Navy was key to the decisive outcome of the 1971 War, as the main conflict occurred in East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh after its liberation.
The Indian Navy's total domination of the Bay of Bengal that kickstarted before the eventual war, including missions like Operation X, which aimed to incapacitate East Pakistan's naval fleet, paved the way for a decisive victory over Pakistan, according to retired Commodore Srikant B. Kesnur.
"Under this operation, a diving team of the Indian Navy trained members of the Mukti Bahini [Bengali military force] to carry out clandestine assaults against Pakistani naval vessels in sea waters. This operation was a great success, considering Indian divers and the Mukti Bahini managed to sink 100,000 tonnes of East Pakistan's shipping in five months from August to December 1971," the Honorary Adjunct Fellow at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) told Sputnik India.
In addition to that, another surprise operation codenamed Force Alpha was conducted to destroy East Pakistan's riverine posts in Mongla, Khulna, and Chalna. This operation was innovatively planned and executed by the Indian Navy, successfully disorienting the Pakistani naval forces through seaward attacks and semi-paralysing it almost a week after Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared war on Pakistan on December 3, 1971, the naval historian highlighted.
The final nail in the coffin as far as the Pakistani Navy was concerned, came in the form of a strategic masterstroke from the Indian naval strategists who lured PNS Ghazi, Pakistan's only submarine at the time, to India's eastern coast near Visakhapatnam, while the Eastern Fleet was deployed off the Andaman Islands. Deceived by this move and due to sustained pressure from the Indian Navy, PNS Ghazi sank off Vizag, delivering a morale-crushing blow to the Pakistani Navy, Kesnur underlined.
"After the threat posed by PNS Ghazi was adroitly eliminated, Indian Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant took complete control of the Bay of Bengal, helping the Indian Navy carry out air strikes at Pakistani military facilities in Chittagong, and Cox's Bazaar amongst other ports. The Indian Navy also intercepted Pakistan's radio messages, leading to the blockage of its supply lines, and escape routes from the sea, thus playing a monumental role in establishing India's authority in the naval domain and contributing to the eventual outcome of surrender at Dacca (Dhaka)," the military analyst elaborated.
The Indian Navy's dominance over the Pakistani Navy resulted in a kind of stranglehold over East Pakistan where nobody could escape and that was the reason there were 93,000 prisoners of war after Pakistan was annihilated in the conflict by India which ended on December 16, Kesnur asserted.
In the immediate aftermath of the war, Captain Mohan Narayan Rao Samant, who had trained Bangladeshi
Mukti Bahini cadres to sink Pakistani ships went to Bangladesh and served as the temporary Chief of Naval Staff of the new-born state, to advise,
stabilise and oversee the rebuilding of its navy, the defence expert pointed out.
Furthermore, the mines that were put inside the seas to cripple the Pakistani naval forces, were removed by the Indian Navy because Bangladesh did not have minesweepers at that time, thereby allowing commercial ships to reach Bangladeshi ports, the expert stated. Thirdly, the Indian Navy contributed a great deal to rebuilding Bangladesh's port infrastructure which had taken a severe beating due to the Indian bombardment during the war was now brought back to an even keel, the Indian Navy veteran added.
"Despite all this support, India's great model was that it did not thrust itself politically or even militarily on Bangladesh. Nor did India make it necessary for Bangladesh to buy arms, ammunition, ships, or any other defence hardware from it, allowing Bangladesh to operate freely without being influenced by India in any matter whatsoever," he underscored.
Meanwhile, following independence, a portion of the Mukti Bahini personnel subsequently joined the newly established Bangladeshi Navy, Joseph P Chacko, the publisher of Frontier India and Author of Foxtrot to Arihant: The Story of Indian Navy's Submarine Arm, mentioned.
The newly established Bangladesh Navy received substantial support from the Indian Navy in the establishment of its foundational infrastructure. India provided
training to numerous Bangladeshi naval officers, and Bangladesh received assistance from India in the development of its initial naval capabilities, he illustrated.
"India provided substantial material assistance, which included naval vessels and equipment. The Indian Navy transferred its first ships to the Bangladesh Navy, thereby enhancing the nation's maritime defense capabilities. This asset transfer was not merely a logistical exercise; it was also a symbolic expression of solidarity and support," Chacko said in a conversation with Sputnik India.
Another essential component of the India-Bangladesh relationship has been strategic maritime cooperation. The naval cooperation between the two nations has been instrumental in addressing common challenges, such as maritime security, combating piracy, and ensuring secure maritime trade routes, as they both share maritime interests in the Bay of Bengal. Joint naval exercises have become a consistent practice, which has contributed to the improvement of mutual understanding and interoperability between the two navies, the author stressed.
From a post-war supportive model to a more balanced, strategic partnership, the relationship has undergone a transformation. In recent years, this collaboration
has broadened to include coordinated patrolling, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief operations, as well as joint maritime surveillance, he elucidated.
The joint naval exercises like Milan and CORPAT have strengthened interoperability and maritime security cooperation between the two neighbours, retired Commander Rahul Verma believes. India's naval diplomacy has helped the Bangladesh Navy grow into a credible regional force, ensuring stability in the Bay of Bengal and fostering mutual trust through maritime domain awareness initiatives, Verma told Sputnik India.
However, he believes that the current rise of anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh is concerning, especially given the geopolitical sensitivities of the Bay of Bengal.
"Bangladesh is a key maritime partner for India, and any political rift could disrupt regional connectivity initiatives like BIMSTEC [Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation] and BBIN [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal Initiative], weakening economic and security ties," Verma emphasised.
India's strategic involvement in BIMSTEC is essential for the prevention of external influences and the improvement of regional connectivity. The organisation functions as a platform for the resolution of shared
concerns regarding energy cooperation, trade, and climate change. If Bangladesh fails to cooperate, these initiatives could further destabilise the Bay of Bengal region, he suggested.
On the other hand, retired Commodore Dr Johnson Odakkal, a Honorary Adjunct Fellow at Naval War College in Goa, opined that the rise of political rhetoric and anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh presents challenges to bilateral ties.
"There are growing attempts to distort or marginalise the role of India and the Mukti Bahini in the 1971 Liberation War. Such revisionist narratives not only diminish historical truth but also threaten to weaken the foundation of trust between the two nations. Recognising the sacrifices and cooperation during 1971 is critical for sustaining bilateral goodwill," the academic remarked.
External influences in Bangladesh, particularly through economic and military investments, contribute to shifting geopolitical dynamics. India must continue engaging diplomatically, fostering people-to-people ties, and reaffirming the shared vision of regional stability, Odakkal concluded.