AGARTALA: Activists from the youth wing of the Tripura Congress staged a massive protest rally in Agartala on Tuesday, condemning the alleged removal of a historic photograph of the formal surrender of the Pakistan Army during the 1971 war from the Indian Army headquarters.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the photograph, depicting the formal surrender, had been removed from the army headquarters.
During her Zero Hour reference, Gandhi stated that the picture was taken down on Monday, which also coincided with Vijay Diwas.
The photograph shows the Pakistan Army's Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi signing the formal surrender of 93,000 soldiers following their defeat by the Indian Army in 1971. This event marked the end of the 13-day war and led to the creation of Bangladesh.
Youth Congress state president Nilkamal Saha said: "On the day of Vijay Diwas, the historic photograph was removed by the government from the army headquarters. This is nothing but an attempt to negate the army's glorious history achieved under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. We strongly condemn the move and demand restoration of the photograph to its original place."
He added: "The photograph mirrored the valour of the Indian Army in the Bangladesh Liberation War. This was achieved in exchange for the blood of army personnel who fought the war alongside muktijoddhas to defeat the Pakistan Army in erstwhile East Pakistan."