AMRITA BAZAR PATRIKA, CALCUTTA, MARCH 28, 1971
GENERAL TIKKA KHAN SHOT DEAD *
DACCA, KHULNA BOMBED
A LAKII FEARED KILLED
FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN MASS ACTION
Agartala. March 27 -After two days of mounting deaths and destruction, the situation in the East Pakistan civil war was crystallizing tonight with the Sheikh’s Bangladesh forces in a commanding position everywhere except in the three major Cantonments of Dacca, Comilla and Jessore as’ many as 100,000 people are feared killed.
Major Zia Khan, Chief of the Bangladesh Liberation Army declared over the free Bangladesh Radio tonight that Bangladesh would be rid of the Pakistani military administration in two or three days.
The Radio Pakistan announcement of Mr. Rahman’s arrest (which was later denied by Free Bangla radio) infuriated Dacca residents who stormed the official residence of Lt. Gen. Tikka Khan. Martial Law administrator and shot him dead.
Reliable information reaching here said that flames and smoke danced on Dacca with a population of about ten lakhs and also in Comilla and Khulna where the defending West Pakistanis employed tanks, planes and helicopters in a desperate bid to retain their hold.
Lt-Gen Tikka Khan, martial law administrator of East Pakistan died in a nursing home at S.15 p. in after being seriously injured when freedom fighters stormed his Dacca residence, reports reaching.
With most of the road and rail links completely cut off by the Sheikh’s forces, the movement of West Pakistani troops has been ground to a halt.
Grim fighting was reportedly in progress for control of the dreaded city of Dacca which is feared to have taken a toll of more than two thousand lives in the current fighting
Hundreds of wounded were lying under the debris of shattered homes, the report said.
Reports from inside the troubled land, broadcast by the Free Bangla Radio Stations and corroborated by other sources across the border, said bombs were dropped over Dacca and Khulna. In the bombing of Dacca a large hospital was destroyed and most of its in patients were killed.
There was no means of estimating the casualties, believed to run into thousands and fast mounting higher.
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* ঐ সময় গুজব রটে গিয়েছিল যে আঞ্চলিক সামরিক আইন প্রশাসক &ও পূর্ব পাকিস্তান”-এর মনােনীত গভর্ণর লেৎ টিক্কা খান নিহত হয়েছেন। অপর এক সংবাদে শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের গ্রেফতারের খবরকে অসত্য বলে প্রচার করা হয়েছিল।
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The use of tanks and aircraft suggesting the beginnings of a war of attribution followed successful immobilization of troops by the freedom fighters by raising wood and brick barricade across streets in almost all towns, by blowing up bridges over the rivers and streams crisscrossing the land and by dismantling railway tracks and destroying railway stations.
The Pakistani authorities claimed the army had established effective control over the whole of East Pakistan and conditions were fast returning to normal but
martial law order calling for removal of all barricades on pain of destruction of all buildings within 1(X) yards of such obstructions.
The army authorities claimed that the father of the newborn Republic Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whom President Yahya Khan had yesterday charged with treason, had been arrested, but the free Bangla Radio stations-at least three of them were on the air at different times during the day-asserted he was safe and free one of them carrying a live broadcast by him assuring the people he was in full command of affairs and exhorting them to carry on the fight.
A steamer carrying arms and ammunition was seized by about 1,000 Bangladesh freedom fighters at Nawabganj. a sub-divisional town on the bank of the Ganga, reports reaching at Krishnanagar said tonight.
The steamer was about to leave for the arm controlled Rajshahi town when it was captured, the reports added.
Mr. Mujibur Rahman, in a proclamation broadcast over a free Bangla Radio, promised to permit the West Pakistani troops to return home safely if they surrendered to the liberation forces with their arms. He warned that if they failed to do ‘freedom-fighters will avenge the blood of Bengalis with blood’.
In another proclamation, he declared that anyone in Bangladesh who helped the ‘foreign’ West Pakistani army would be tried by people’s courts.
A Free Bangla broadcast said members of a West Punjabi regiment, under a seige by a Bengali regiment and freedom-fighters since yesterday, had started surrendering. A Baluchi regiment deployed in Bangladesh was said to have defied their West Punjabi Commanders.
Reports from inside Bangladesh said units of the liberation force had repulsed Pakistani troops’ attempts to seize control of the towns of Chittagong, Comilla, Dinajpur and Sylhet from the freedom-fighters.
An attempt by the troops to capture the Patenga airport near Chittagong was also foiled. The Liberation force unit there was said to have been led by a Brigadier, named Karim.
Freedom-fighters reported a major success in the capture of Mongla Port. The Chief of the East Pakistan rifles in Khulna with his entire battalion, was pitted against the troops in this action. They also said naval units at Chittagong and Khulna had joined with the liberation force.
Freedom-fighters today captured the Comilla Police armoury from the control of the military after a day-long Fight with troops, highly reliable reports said.
The fighters removed the arms and distributed these among themselves.
Main supply line to West Pakistani troops in Sylhet district was hit after Bhairab bridge near Akhaura, was blown up by the Liberation army.
A fierce battle raged in Dacca for the second successive day for control of the Dacca Radio, seized by the army when it started the intensive military operations on Thursday night. Casualties on both sides were put at 2.500.
The voice of America said unarmed people in Dacca, the largest city of Bangladesh, had been met by tanks. It also said the Awami League headquarters had been destroyed in the fighting.
One indication of the heavy casualties suffered by the freedom-fighters was a free Bengal radio appeal for blood donations to save the lives of injured liberation force members. Young men were urged to go to the blood bank at the Dacca medical college, which was in the hands of the liberation forces.
Maulana Abdul Hamid Bhashani, leader of the leftwing National Awami Party, today directed members of his peasant organisation, estimated*to number 50,000, to join the liberation force in Bangladesh.
East Pakistan Riflemen today successfully repulsed an attack by the West Pakistani troops on a EPR centre in Khulna district, authoritative reports received in Calcutta said.
According to these reports troops encircled the centre this afternoon with a view to disarming the EPR men, now freedom-fighters in Bangladesh, when the latter resisted the attack with their guns. Heavy fighting continued for over two hours with casualties on both sides. Later the troops withdrew from the area.
Pakistani Air Force planes, giving air support to the ground forces were, however seen circling the centre for a long time.
In Daulatpur, about miles from Khulna town, the West Pakistani troops machinegunned a big crowd killing 90 unarmed civilians on the spot. It was not known whether the crowd has assembled to hold a meeting or to offer prayers
Retreating West Pakistani troops today resorted to scorched earth action in several areas in East Pakistan.
Fierce street fighting rocked the major towns of East Pakistan to day and casualties were feared to be very heavy.
Panic-stricken people were reported to be fleeing to the villages.
The Sheikh’s clandestine radio station was more in evidence today than ever before since the fighting began.
The streets littered with burnt out vehicles, spent bullets, sticks) stones and broken glasses told the grim story of the savage fighting between the forces of the Sheikh and those of West Pakistan.
Latest reports said that the West Pakistanis were airlifting troops on a limited scale to augment their strength in East Pakistan.
Reports continue to pour in of heavy street fighting in almost all towns of East Pakistan. Awami League’s “freedom-fighters” had blown up the Bhairab bridge near Akhaura and destroyed road and rail communications in several places. They were offering stiff resistance to West Pakistan troops despite the heavy toll of lives.
Radio Pakistan, monitored here this morning, claimed, however, that the situation in East Pakistan had been brought well under control “and that the curfew at Dacca was “being lifted.” The Radio continued to broadcast the provisions of martial law orders enforced yesterday and warned the people against their violation.
A number of foreign nationals in Dacca and other places in Bangladesh were injured in firings by West Pakistani troops the free Bangla-Radio said today.
At least 180 persons were killed in Comilla in a clash between the Pakistan and Bangladesh freedom fighters early today, highly reliable reports from across the border said.
The clash occurred when freedom fighters, raided military armory in the district town. Troops machine-gunned the freedom fighters, who included East Pakistan rifleman, policemen, students and other civilians.
Comilla, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Feni towns were under complete control of the Awami League adds our Shillong correspondent.
A people’s army of about 12,000 drove out of President Yahya’s army after gun battle this morning. The army detachment crossed the Gumti river. The exchange of fire was going on across the river still late in the afternoon.
In Comilla district several railway bridges had been either blown off or uprooted by the liberation force and several roads cut across to disrupt vehicular traffic.
The army detachments had also been forced to withdraw from Bogra town in northern Bangladesh, and also from Mymensingh town, another report said Army detachment in outlandish areas were running short of ammunition and food.
Several road bridges on the highway between Chittagong and Dacca had been damaged by the freedom-fighters in an attempt to halt further movement of army from Chittagong port to other towns of Bangladesh.
The casualties in Chittagong were said to be the heaviest. The Awami League supporters who seized control of the Chittagong radio station overnight, were still holding it this morning.
In Jessore airport area alone, over 1500 urban and rural civilians, many of them clad in “lungis and banians” were killed by machine-gun fire when the Sheikh’s supporter armed with spears, lathis, ram daos and daggers, tried to capture the airport.
Hartal Call
The broadcast, heard in Agartala, said Bangladesh forces had surrounded West Pakistani troops in Chittagong, Comilla, Sylhet. Jessore. Barisal and Khulna.
It reiterated the Awami League decision to organise a ‘hartal’ all over the Eastern wing tomorrow in protest against the Army attacks in the past two days resulting in the death of more than a hundred civilians.
It proclaimed “Banga Bandhu” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the only leader of Bangladesh “whose commands should be obeyed by the people to save the country from the ruthless dictatorship of West Pakistanis”.
Reports received here late tonight spoke of heavy fighting also in cur-few-bound Rangpur town one of the three places where the West Pakistani troops shot dead many unarmed civilians two days ago.
Meanwhile curfew was lifted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Dacca today. The Chief Marshal Law Administrator has issued two fresh regulations under which public meetings, demonstrations and processions have been banned and strict censorship imposed on publication and printing, reports Radio Pakistan.
Any contravention of these regulations is punishable with seven years’ Rigorous imprisonment.
Reports trickling from across the border said that the port city of Chittagong was completely under the control of free Bangladesh authorities.
Chittagong had gone through a bloodbath on March 25 when Awami League volunteers and others prevented the unloading of troops and equipment from ship arriving from West Pakistan.
The Dacca Cantonment was surrounded by freedom-fighters aided by thousands of common people.
Fuel Shortage
The Pakistan Air force now in East Pakistan is faced with serious fuel shortage, authoritative reports received in Calcutta on today said.
According to these reports, the Pakistan Government made frantic bid to secure this much needed aviation fuel for the Air Force from the Burmese Government and it had been a sured of the supply.
The freedom-fighters of Bangladesh’ damaged or destroyed large number of bridges in riverrine Bengal and army movements are being restricted in towns only.
The situation this morning was described to be serious as the entire population is in revolt against West Pakistani exploiters.