The Insiders: Interview with General J F R Jacob - NewsX

The "insiders" featured in this series are no ordinary people: they have held key positions of power and have been in involved in policy and decision making processes. In 1971, there was a brutal crackdown in what was then East Pakistan against the Bengali population. Thousands of Bengali students and intellectuals were systematically murdered in cold blood by the Pakistani Army. Millions of refugees flooded India's borders and Indira Gandhi knew she had to act and act she did - ordering the army into action for a campaign on India's eastern borders. This campaign, once launched was swift and effective. The war ended in just 13 days, after the Indian troops closed in on Dhaka. It was here that the instrument of surrender was signed and Gen. Niazi and his troops laid down their arms in what is regarded as history's first ever public surrender of such magnitude. Spearheading the Indian army's operation on its eastern front was Lt. Gen. Jacob. Hear the story of how the 1971 Bangladesh War was won from this insider. This is 1971: India's finest hour! In an exclusive interview, Kalyani Shankar caught up with Lieutenant General JFR Jacob (former Chief of Staff, Eastern Army Command).

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