Top General in Bangladesh War criticises Manekshaw plans

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) Though Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw is regarded the Hero of the 1971 War Against Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh, one of his top Generals in that operation differs suggesting his war plans and tactics could have denied India victory.

Lieutenant General (Retired) JFR Jacob, then a Major General in the Army's Eastern Command which was involved in the battle for creation of Bangladesh, said on a television channel last night that Sam Manekshaw, then Chief of Army Staff, did not want capture of Dhaka but other towns -- and it could have ''delayed the proceedings'' if not ''ignored''.

The 84-year-old Gen Jacob, who after retirement served as Governor of Punjab and Goa, said the delay could have been crucial because there was a fear that India could be forced to accept ceasefire, without much in hand, as the United Nations was in session.

The 93-year-old Field Marshal, presently ailing and hospitalised at Wellington Hospital in Tamil Nadu, was recently given Rs 1.16 Crore as arrears by the Government following a decision to give him the salary of a General with retrospective effect.

''There was no mention of Dhaka (in Manekshaw's plan)'', Gen Jacob said in the TV interview. He said the then Army Chief had instead wanted capture of Khulna -- a minor river port 30 miles from the Indian border -- and the major port city of Chhittagong. Maintaining that capture of the capital city of Dhaka was ''more crucial'' than Khulna and Chhittagong, Gen Jacob said he told his field commanders to ''ignore'' Army Chief Manekshaw's order and target Dhaka.

''We would have been completely bogged down... We couldn't have captured the towns... You can't capture towns, it takes a long time... It takes time and very heavy casualty,'' Gen Jacob averred.

He contended that if Army Chief Manekshaw's plan had been followed ''we would not have been able to capture Dhaka''.

He further agreed that Army Chief Manekshaw did not expect that East Pakistan would collapse and Dhaka fall. He also dismissed Manekshaw's remark made a few years ago that he ''ran the war single handedly'' and suggesting that the Navy and the Indian Air Force took orders from him.

Gen Jacob said he had earlier moved three brigades from the Chinese border to take Dhaka -- and when Manekshaw found out he was ''furious''. However, the brigades were not moved back.

And even after having the brigades ready in position, the permission to use them was denied for five days, Gen Jacob said.

''I expected I would be given permission once the war started but the permission was denied for five days,'' he said.

Had the permission been given earlier, it could ''have speeded up the fall of Dhaka,'' he contended.

Asked whether it meant that Manekshaw's refusal ''held things up'', Gen Jacob replied: ''They did''.

UNI