December 16, 1971 will remain a red-letter day in the annals of the 20th century, marking the day India achieved a remarkable military victory that led to the birth of Bangladesh as an independent nation. After World War II ended in August 1945, no other nation achieved such an emphatic outcome – dismembering an adversary and enabling the birth of a new nation.
It is also true that the Pakistan army turned its bayonets on its own citizens in what was then East Pakistan (albeit of a different linguistic and cultural identity) and has been accused of engaging in genocide. The India-Pakistan war of 1971 concluded on December 16, and the victory also resulted in more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendering to the Indian army in Dhaka.
It is a different matter that Bangladesh, currently in the throes of domestic political churn, has chosen to reinterpret December 16 in a disparaging manner. It remains to be seen if religion will ultimately trump linguistic identity and a deeply embedded socio-cultural inheritance. This is a litmus test for the people of Bangladesh, and the next few years will be critical in determining how December 16th is remembered—either nurtured in a positive manner or sullied and discarded.
India commemorates this day as Vijay Diwas (Victory Day), and the 53rd anniversary will be celebrated on Monday (December 16) with the Prime Minister leading the nation in paying homage to those who laid down their lives and those grievously injured in that war. Last year, on this day, PM Modi took to social media, writing: “Today, on Vijay Diwas, we pay heartfelt tributes to all the brave heroes who dutifully served India in 1971, ensuring a decisive victory. Their valour and dedication remain a source of immense pride for the nation.”
India celebrates two military victories: December 1971 and the Kargil War of mid-1999. The Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on July 26 and marks the day when India successfully evicted the Pakistani army from Indian territory in the high Himalayas. Many lives were lost in this conflict. July 2024 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Kargil victory, and PM Modi led the nation in paying homage to the fallen soldiers, adding: “The names of those who offered their lives for this land will remain alive forever. The entire nation is highly indebted to the martyrs of the Kargil War.”
However, these were not the only wars India prosecuted, and the December 16th Vijay Diwas needs to be considered in a larger context. It is appropriate that the fallen soldiers are respectfully remembered by a grateful nation, and the symbolism of the Prime Minister leading the nation is indeed poignant.
The number of Indian military casualties in defence of national sovereignty and integrity since August 1947 is as follows (killed and wounded respectively):
J&K Operation (1947–48): 1,104 and 3,152
India-China War (1962): 3,250 and 5,448
Indo-Pak War (1965): 3,264 and 8,623
Indo-Pak War for Bangladesh (1971): 3,843 and 9,851
Op Pawan, Sri Lanka (1987–90): 1,157 and 3,009
Kargil War (1999): 527 and 1,363
While victory is always celebrated in a joyous and collective manner, and defeat observed in solitude and solemnity by the families who have lost loved ones, for the fallen soldier, the tragic outcome is the same: death. It is unfortunate that India has rarely acknowledged the contribution and valour of those who died in the wars that did not lead to the kind of victory associated with December 1971 and Kargil 1999.
The first war for Kashmir (1947–48) took place against the backdrop of partition and the horrific bloodshed that followed. It is worth recalling that but for the extraordinary leadership and gallantry demonstrated by the fledgling Indian ‘fauj’ at that time, Kashmir might have been wrested from India. But this war is slowly receding from the Indian collective memory and needs to be revisited.
In a similar vein, the October 1962 war with China, where 3,250 Indian military personnel died, and Op Pawan in Sri Lanka, where 1,157 lost their lives, have remained orphans when it comes to paying homage to the fallen soldiers. The number of lives lost in Sri Lanka—termed as an India Peace Keeping Force operation—is greater than those lost in the Kargil War, but it does not feature on the national radar. This is a great pity and needs to be reviewed, with corrective measures introduced.
Both these operations—1962 with China and the Sri Lankan mission—should be brought back into the military history narrative of the nation and studied in detail by academics and analysts. In their own way, they are testimony to the inadequacies in the higher defence management of the country, and an objective recall is long overdue.
It is instructive that only one war has resulted in a review by a team of independent experts, whose findings were placed in the public domain: the Kargil War of 1999. Regrettably, all the other wars are marked by a tenacious opacity, with no official accounts being placed in the public domain. The Henderson Brooks report, set up in the aftermath of the October 1962 debacle, is still under lock and key.
National security setbacks must be studied in an informed and non-partisan manner by specialist historians so that appropriate policy lessons can be gleaned. Here, the penchant of the Indian state to maintain a veil of secrecy over much of the archival material needs to change. Enabling such empathetic recall of all the wars India engaged in, and remembering every fallen soldier, is a worthy task for Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Hopefully, 2025, which marks the 75th year of the Republic, will allow for a more holistic approach to honouring the fallen soldier.
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