Timeline of the Bangladesh Liberation War

The Bangladesh War of Independence started on 26 March 1971 and ended on 16 December 1971. Some of the major events of the war are listed in the timeline below.

Timeline

Interactive Timeline of the Bangladesh War

Before the war

1 March: General Yahya Khan calls off the session of National Council to be held on 3 March in a radio address.^[1]
7 March: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – leader of Awami League party that had won a landslide victory in Pakistan in the Federal Elections of 1970, but never been granted authority – announces to a jubilant crowd at the Dhaka Race Course ground, "The struggle this time is the struggle for our emancipation! The struggle this time is the struggle for independence!".^[2]
9 March: Workers of Chittagong port refuse to unload weapons from the ship 'Swat'.
16 March: Yahya Khan starts negotiation with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
19 March: Nearly 200 people are injured at Jaydevpur during clashes between protesters and the Pakistan Army.^[3]
24 March: The Pakistan Army opens fire on Bengali protesters in Syedpur and Rangpur. About 150 people are killed.^[4]

Events during the War

March

25 March to 26 March: Pakistan Army starts crackdown in the form of Operation Searchlight in Dhaka and the rest of the country, attacking general civilians, political activists, students, and Bengali members of armed forces and police.^[5]
26 March: At 1:15 am, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is arrested at his home by a Pakistani commando company.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] The Independence of Bangladesh is declared by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a few minutes before he was arrested by the Pakistan army.
27 March: Independence of Bangladesh is again declared by Maj. Ziaur Rahman on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,^[10]^[11] Santahar massacre is committed by the Mukti Bahini, thousands of non-Bengalis are attacked by Mukti Bahini members.^[12]
31 March: Kushtia resistance begins.

April

2 April: Jinjira massacre.
6 April: The Blood Telegram
10 April: A provisional Bangladesh government-in-exile is formed.
11 April: Radio address by Tajuddin Ahmad, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
12 April: M. A. G. Osmani takes up the command of Bangladesh Armed Forces.
17 April: A provisional government-in-exile took oath in Baidyanathtala (now called Mujibnagar) in Meherpur District
18 April: Battle of Daruin, Comilla and Battle of Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway, Chittagong Hill Tracts.
24 April: Formation of Bangladesh Action Committee at Coventry, UK by non-resident Bangladeshis.
25 April to 15 August: Operation Jackpot by Mukti Bahini
28 April: Tajuddin pleas for arms aid to neighbors. ^[13]

May

5 May: Gopalpur massacre.^[14]
15 May: Indian army starts aiding Mukti Bahini.^[15]
20 May:The Chuknagar massacre takes place at Khulna where the Pakistan army kills nearly 10 thousand people
24 May: Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra finds home in Kolkata.

July

11–17 July: Sector Commanders Conference in 1971.

August

1 August: The Concert for Bangladesh in Madison Square Garden, New York by Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and friends.
16 August: Operation Jackpot, Bangladesh naval commando operation.
20 August: Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman's attempt to defect by hijacking a fighter.
30 August: Pakistan Army crackdown on Dhaka guerrillas.^[16]

September

5 September: Battle of Goalhati, Jessore.
28 September: Bangladesh Air Force starts functioning.

October

13 October: Dhaka guerrillas kill Abdul Monem Khan, governor of East Pakistan.
28 October to 3 November: Battle of Dhalai in which 3 companies (215 soldiers) of the Jat Regiment (2 JAT) of Indian Army defeated a battalion (800 soldiers) of 30th Frontier Force Rifles (30 FFR) of Pakistan Army.^[17]^[18]^[19] Hamidur Rahman of Mukti Bahini was posthumously awarded the Bir Sreshtho, the highest recognition of bravery in Bangladesh.^[20]
31 October to 3 November: Battle of Dhalai: Allied attack from Tripura into East Pakistan to stop Pakistani cross-border shelling.

November

9 November: Six small ships constitute the first fleet of Bangladesh Navy.
16 November: Battle of Ajmiriganj, an 18-hour encounter between Mukti Bahini and Pakistan army. A famous freedom fighter, Jagat Joity Das, is killed.
14 November to 4 December: The Battle of Kamalpur began, where Pakistani troops defended Kamalpur for 21 days before being ordered to surrender by their superiors.^[21]^[22]
20 to 21 November: Battle of Garibpur: India attacked Pakistani forces and captured Boyra salient in East Pakistan
21 November: Bangladesh Armed Forces are formed.
22 November to 13 December, and sporadic fighting to 16 December: Battle of Hilli: Indian attack on Bogra in East Pakistan.

December

3 December: Bangladesh Air Force destroys Pakistani oil depots.^[23]
3 December: Pakistani pre-emptive airstrikes in India. As a result, India declares war against Pakistan.^[24]
3 to 6 December: Battle of Chamb; Pakistan attacks and takes over part of southern Kashmir from India.
4 December : Battle of Longewala; India stops a Pakistani invasion directed at Jaisalmer.
4 to 5 December : Battle of Gazipur in which Indian Army and Mukti Bahini captured Gazipur
5 December : Battle of Basantar; India attacks and takes over Pakistani territory in the Shakargarh Salient, opposite Jammu.
6 December: Jashore (Jessore) became the first district in Bangladesh to be liberated from Pakistani control. Bhutan becomes the first country to recognise Bangladesh followed by India . Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra becomes Bangladesh Betar.
7 to 16 December: Battle of Sylhet, liberation of Jessore, Sylhet and Moulovi Bazar.
8 December: Operation Python: Indian naval attack on Karachi, West Pakistan.
9 December: Battle of Kushtia: Indian attack from West Bengal into East Pakistan. Chandpur and Daudkandi liberated from Pakistan.
9 December: Meghna Heli Bridge liberated from Pakistan
10 December: Liberation of Laksham. Two Bangladeshi ships sunk mistakenly by an Indian air attack.
11 December: Tangail Airdrop, which liberated Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna river
11 December: Liberation of Hilli, Mymenshingh, Kushtia and Noakhali. USS Enterprise is deployed by the US Navy in the Bay of Bengal to intimidate the Indian Navy.
13 December: Soviet Navy deploys a group of warships to counter Enterprise. The Enterprise moves towards Southeast Asia, averting a confrontation.
14 December: Selective genocide of Bengali nationalist intellectuals. Liberation of Bogra.
16 December: End of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Mitro Bahini takes Dhaka. approximately 93,000 troops of Pakistan Armed Forces surrenders to Mitro Bahini represented by Jagjit Singh Aurora of the Indian Army faction of the military coalition.
22 December: The provisional government of Bangladesh arrives in Dhaka from exile.

References

^ "March 1, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
^ Ahmed, Helal Uddin (2012). "Seventh March Address". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ "March 19, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
^ "March 24, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
^ Salik, Siddiq (1978) [First published 1977]. Witness to Surrender. Oxford University Press. p. 90. ISBN 0-19-577257-1.
^ Brig.Zahir Alam Khan memoir "The Way it Was"
^ Gupta, Jyoti Sen (1974). History of freedom movement in Bangladesh, 1943–1973. Naya Prokash. p. 278. OCLC 891183528. It was past midnight ... the Pakistani Major looked up at Begum Mujib and said: 'Sorry, we are taking him away'.
^ Khan, Fazal Muqueem (1973). Pakistan's Crisis in Leadership. National Book Foundation. p. 72. OCLC 976643179. Sheikh Mujib was arrested from his residence in Dhan Mandi at 0130 hours
^ Matinuddin, Kamal (1994). Tragedy of errors: East Pakistan crisis, 1968–1971. Wajidalis. p. 247. ISBN 978-969-8031-19-0. Within 15 minutes of [1 a.m.] ... Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman was arrested from his Dhonmandi residence ... The commando company
^ Matinuddin, Kamal (1994). Tragedy of errors: East Pakistan crisis, 1968–1971. Wajidalis. p. 255. ISBN 978-969-8031-19-0.
^ Safiullah, K M (1989). Bangladesh at War. Academic Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9789840801091. OCLC 24300969.
^ Kamrani, Farrukh (16 December 2017). "Fall of Dhaka: How Mukti Bahini 'cleansed' Santahar town of non-Bengalis, An account of methodical massacre of around twenty thousand men, women and children". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
^ [1] Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ "Locals still have nightmare about supreme sacrifices of Lt. Azim, 200 others". The New Nation. 8 May 2009.
^ Islam, Rafiqul (1981). A Tale of Millions. Bangladesh Books International. p. 211. OCLC 499426590.
^ Jahanara Imam, Ekatturer Dinguli
^ Sinh, Ramdhir (2013). A Talent for War: The Military Biography of Lt Gen Sagat Singh. New Delhi: Vij Books India Private Limited. ISBN 978-9382573739.
^ "Battle of Dhalai". Defence Journal. December 1998. pp. 30–36. Archived from the original on 7 October 1999.
^ "Notable battles in the 11 Sectors". Dhaka Tribune. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
^ "War heroes honoured". The Daily Star. UNB. 21 November 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ Singh, Sukhwant (1980). India's Wars Since Independence. Vol. 1. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. p. 190. ISBN 0-7069-1057-5.
^ Cloughley, Brian (2006) [First published 1999]. A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-19-547334-6.
^ মুক্তিযুদ্ধে বিমান [Airplanes of liberation war]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 25 December 2009.
^ "India-Pakistan 1971 war: 13 days that shook the subcontinent". The Indian Express. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

[1] "March 1, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2019.

[2] Ahmed, Helal Uddin (2012). "Seventh March Address". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

[3] "March 19, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 9 June 2019.

[4] "March 24, 1971". Liberation War Museum. Retrieved 17 December 2021.

[5] Salik, Siddiq (1978) [First published 1977]. Witness to Surrender. Oxford University Press. p. 90. ISBN 0-19-577257-1.

[6] Brig.Zahir Alam Khan memoir "The Way it Was"

[7] Gupta, Jyoti Sen (1974). History of freedom movement in Bangladesh, 1943–1973. Naya Prokash. p. 278. OCLC 891183528. It was past midnight ... the Pakistani Major looked up at Begum Mujib and said: 'Sorry, we are taking him away'.

[8] Khan, Fazal Muqueem (1973). Pakistan's Crisis in Leadership. National Book Foundation. p. 72. OCLC 976643179. Sheikh Mujib was arrested from his residence in Dhan Mandi at 0130 hours

[Matinuddin1994-9] Matinuddin, Kamal (1994). Tragedy of errors: East Pakistan crisis, 1968–1971. Wajidalis. p. 247. ISBN 978-969-8031-19-0. Within 15 minutes of [1 a.m.] ... Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman was arrested from his Dhonmandi residence ... The commando company

[10] Matinuddin, Kamal (1994). Tragedy of errors: East Pakistan crisis, 1968–1971. Wajidalis. p. 255. ISBN 978-969-8031-19-0.

[11] Safiullah, K M (1989). Bangladesh at War. Academic Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9789840801091. OCLC 24300969.

[12] Kamrani, Farrukh (16 December 2017). "Fall of Dhaka: How Mukti Bahini 'cleansed' Santahar town of non-Bengalis, An account of methodical massacre of around twenty thousand men, women and children". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 8 December 2024.

[13] [1] Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

[14] "Locals still have nightmare about supreme sacrifices of Lt. Azim, 200 others". The New Nation. 8 May 2009.

[15] Islam, Rafiqul (1981). A Tale of Millions. Bangladesh Books International. p. 211. OCLC 499426590.

[16] Jahanara Imam, Ekatturer Dinguli

[JAT1-17] Sinh, Ramdhir (2013). A Talent for War: The Military Biography of Lt Gen Sagat Singh. New Delhi: Vij Books India Private Limited. ISBN 978-9382573739.

[JAT2-18] "Battle of Dhalai". Defence Journal. December 1998. pp. 30–36. Archived from the original on 7 October 1999.

[JAT3-19] "Notable battles in the 11 Sectors". Dhaka Tribune. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.

[20] "War heroes honoured". The Daily Star. UNB. 21 November 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2015.

[21] Singh, Sukhwant (1980). India's Wars Since Independence. Vol. 1. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. p. 190. ISBN 0-7069-1057-5.

[22] Cloughley, Brian (2006) [First published 1999]. A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-19-547334-6.

[23] মুক্তিযুদ্ধে বিমান [Airplanes of liberation war]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 25 December 2009.

[24] "India-Pakistan 1971 war: 13 days that shook the subcontinent". The Indian Express. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

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