Exhibition showcases torture by Pakistani army during 1971 war

Agartala, Mar 24: Pictures of mounds of rotten human bodies in the villages, thousands of refugees entering into Indian bordering states in from now Bangladesh in 1971 will showcase the barbaric torture perpetrated by the Pakistani army on lakhs of people during a three-day exhibition here.

The exhibition, "1971: Genocide and Torture" opened here Monday evening and was being organised by the 1971: Genocide and Torture archive Trust, Bangladesh, Tripura government and Sanskriti Samannay Kendra, a cultural organisation of Tripura.

"We have organised the exhibition ahead of Bangladesh's Independence Day on Mar 26 in Tripura, because the people of the state had immense contribution in our freedom movement. They sheltered us in 1971 and let use their soil to launch bush war against the Pakistani armies. We cannot forget their contribution," said Muntasir Mamun, President of the Archive trust and Professor of history of Dhaka University.

Following launching of bush war against the Pakistan army after Bangabandhu Mujibur Rehman gave a clarion call for fight against Pakistani rulers, thousands of refugees entered into Tripura for shelter.

Tripura accommodated 16 lakh people, which was more than its own population that time.

Tripura was also the war headquarters of the Bangladesh liberation war 1971. Later, Indian army also joined the liberation forces and fought against Pakistani army leading to surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka on December 16, 1971.

"Pakistani Army massacred more than 30 lakh Bangladeshis and raped six lakh women during the liberation war which is an instance of barbaric acts by the Pakistani army and we are showcasing these facts to make aware about the history to the people, particularly the young generation," Mamun claimed.

PTI