Liberation Army Controls Dacca
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The Awami League claimed again Thursday they had complete control of Dacca, according to “Free Bengla” Radio monitoried in Assam close to the Border. The radio at one point said a battle was raging round Dacca airport.
The “Army of Liberation” also claimed they captured three civilian airports at Rangpur, Noahatta and Cox’s Bazar, near Chittagong.
Mujibur Escapes?
According to an officer of East Pakistan customs Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who is under arrest according to the Pakistan Government, had escaped an hour before troops came to arrest him in Dacca.
Though the East Bengalis were generally friendly to people coming across the border, they seemed edgy and looked with suspision at people who did not speak Bengali.
Any non-Bengali speaking Moslems in the area and in the Indian border areas of West Bengal are immediately suspected.
At Bangaon, in West Bengal’s 24 Parganas district, a plainlooking village couple were beaten up Thursday morning by people claiming they were either spies or fleeing West Pakistanis from “Bangla Desh” the couple were later taken for interrogation by police.
Pakistani Air Force Staff Jessore
Pakistani Air Force planes Thursday staffed the major military town of Jessore where hundreds of corpses lie rotting in the sun.
Ahahi Alam, a driver said in Benapole he had seen bodies for miles as he drove out by jeep to the Indian border crossing point Thursday morning.
Alam’s jeep flew the green, red and yellow flag of Bangla desh (Bengali Nation) in the back of the vehicle were several small rockets explosives and ammunition said to have been abandoned by a fleeing Punjabi officer.
Alam, once a driver in the government Medical Department and now a member of the secessionist movement said one of the aircraft which attacked Jessore Thursday had been shot down by men of the East Pakistan rifles.
Alam said Jessore air port was still controlled by the Pakistan Army and that four transport planes landed there wednesday bringing in men and supplies.
There were at least 3,000 to 4,000 troops in Jessore, opposed by a couple of hundred men of the rifles, now with the banned Awami League “Liberation Forces” the rifles men had little ammunition he said.
Pakistani Flag Pulled Down
The Pakistani national flag on the border post was pulled Wednesday night and people there said it would be replaced by a Free Bengal flag. Correspondents were greeted by the officials of East Pakistan.
The Djakarta Times, 3.4.1971