Scene 1 – The First Blows
3 December 1971 – Indian Eastern Command Headquarters, Fort William, Calcutta
Maps covered the walls, dotted with red and blue markers. General Jagjit Singh Aurora leaned over the table as officers briefed him. Outside, the cold December air carried the hum of military trucks and convoys.
> Aurora: "Gentlemen, the wait is over. Our government has given the green light. Operation to liberate Bangladesh begins tonight. The objective—swift, decisive victory before the world forces a ceasefire."
Brigadier Singh: "Sir, Mukti Bahini units are already in position along the border. Their intelligence on Pakistani troop dispositions is accurate and recent."
Aurora: (nodding) "Good. Their knowledge of terrain will save us days. The enemy is isolated, their supplies dwindling. We strike hard and keep moving."
That night, Indian artillery opened up along a 900-mile front. The sound of guns rolled over the flat delta lands like an angry storm. In bunkers across East Pakistan, Pakistani soldiers scrambled to their posts.
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Scene 2 – Jessore Under Siege
4 December 1971 – Jessore Cantonment, East Pakistan
Lieutenant Khalid Ahmed of 107 Brigade peered out from a sandbagged position. The distant thud of artillery grew louder, and flashes lit up the horizon.
> Khalid: "They're hitting our forward positions again. Looks like tanks this time."
Captain Rashid: "Mukti Bahini fighters have been probing our flanks for days. Now the Indians move in. We're surrounded on three sides."
The Mukti Bahini, dressed in mismatched fatigues and carrying both old Enfields and modern Indian rifles, began small-arms fire from concealed positions. Moments later, Indian T-55 tanks of the 9th Infantry Division rolled into view, supported by infantry.
Pakistani soldiers returned fire, anti-tank guns cracking. A T-55 burst into flames, but more replaced it.
The battalion radio crackled—Brigade HQ ordering a fighting withdrawal to avoid encirclement.
> Khalid: "Fall back? This is Jessore—"
Rashid: "Orders are orders. Better we live to fight in Khulna than die here with no air support."
By nightfall, Jessore fell. Indian troops and Mukti Bahini fighters moved into the cantonment, finding abandoned ammunition and destroyed vehicles.
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Scene 3 – Guerrilla Shadows
5 December 1971 – A Village near Khulna
In a small bamboo hut, Mukti Bahini commander Major Ziauddin met with Colonel S. P. Singh of the Indian Army.
> Ziauddin: "We've already mined the road from Bagerhat. If the Pakistanis retreat from Khulna, they'll have no easy escape."
Singh: "Good. Our plan is to tighten the noose. Your men know these mangrove paths better than any map."
Mukti Bahini fighters moved silently through the night, blowing up small bridges, ambushing supply convoys, and feeding real-time intelligence to Indian units. Pakistani garrisons found themselves harassed at every turn, with radio intercepts indicating the enemy always seemed one step ahead.
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Scene 4 – The Fall of Khulna
7 December 1971 – Khulna Port City
The smell of saltwater mixed with gunpowder as Pakistani naval patrol boats exchanged fire with Indian artillery onshore. The once-busy port was now a battlefield.
Major Saeed Khan of the Pakistan Marines barked orders as shells crashed into the dockyards.
> Saeed: "Hold the jetty! If we lose Khulna, Chittagong becomes our last port!"
Petty Officer Hamid: "Sir, the Indians are flanking from the north! And Mukti Bahini fighters have cut the supply line!"
The fight was fierce, close-quarter combat breaking out in warehouses and streets. Pakistani troops held out for hours but were slowly driven back toward the riverbanks.
By late afternoon, Saeed gave the order to withdraw toward Barisal. Khulna fell, sealing off another route for Pakistani reinforcements.
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Scene 5 – Chittagong: The Last Eastern Port
9 December 1971 – Chittagong Defence Headquarters
Brigadier Abdul Bari paced the operations room. Maps showed enemy pressure from three directions.
> Bari: "They're pushing from Feni, from Rangamati, and from the sea. Our navy is outmatched—Ghazi is gone, and Karachi is too far to help."
Major Aziz: "Sir, Mukti Bahini units have seized villages along the coastal approach. They're guiding Indian troops right to our doorstep."
Outside, Indian naval guns opened up on port installations, and aircraft strafed any visible movement. Pakistani artillery responded, but ammunition was running dangerously low.
The next day, Indian infantry, supported by Mukti Bahini fighters, breached the outer defenses. The streets echoed with small-arms fire, grenades, and the occasional roar of a tank's main gun.
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Scene 6 – Coordination in Action
10 December 1971 – Indian Forward Command Post, near Chittagong
Major R. K. Sharma of the Indian Army studied a Mukti Bahini radio operator relaying coordinates in Bengali.
> Sharma: "So the Pakistani reserve company is here, near Agrabad?"
Radio Operator: "Confirmed. Our men in the city are marking their position with smoke."
Within minutes, Indian artillery adjusted fire. A heavy barrage pinned the Pakistani reserve, allowing infantry to advance block by block.
By 11 December, Chittagong's main defensive line collapsed. The Pakistani garrison split into small groups, some retreating inland, others captured.
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Scene 7 – Voices of the Fallen
12 December 1971 – A Roadside Encampment, Comilla District
Pakistani soldiers who had escaped from Jessore, Khulna, and Chittagong sat in the cold night, silent. A young sepoy broke the stillness.
> Sepoy Imran: "We fought… but it felt like the enemy was everywhere. Even the villagers stared at us like we didn't belong."
Sergeant Malik: "They had the locals, the Mukti Bahini, and the Indian Army. We had no reinforcements, no air cover. Only our rifles."
Far to the west, in Dhaka, General Niazi received grim reports—city after city falling. The Eastern Theatre was collapsing.
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Scene 8 – Strategic Collapse
13 December 1971 – Eastern Command HQ, Dhaka
General A. A. K. Niazi slammed his fist on the desk.
> Niazi: "Jessore gone. Khulna gone. Chittagong gone. And the Indians are within striking distance of Dhaka. What's left?"
Staff Officer: "Sir… only pockets of resistance. Supply lines are cut. We're… isolated."
Niazi looked around at his staff—faces drawn, uniforms worn. The Eastern Theatre had opened in fire and was now closing in suffocation.
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