Vijay Divas celebrated in Meghalaya

Vijay Diwas was celebrated here today, marking victory of Indian Armed Forces over Pakistan, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Bangladesh.
Lieutenant General R S Panwar, General officer in Command 101 Area led the celebration by laying the wreath at the War Memorial in Pine Walk area of the city. A colourful ceremonial parade was also conducted by the ceremonial guards.
December 16 is special to the Indian Army as they commemorate their victory over Pakistan in 1971 after which Vijay Diwas was celebrated in dedication to the personnel of all three services who laid down their lives for the country, Lt Gen Panwar said.

He said the day also marks the anniversary of the unconditional surrender of 90,000 troops of Pakistan to the Indian Armed Forces and subsequent formation of Bangladesh.
Earlier, Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya, P C Pant released a special cover of the HQ 101 Area to commemorate its 50th anniversary celebration and to recognise the yeoman service rendered by it to the Indian Army.
Addressing a gathering held at the Rhino Auditorium here, Pant lauded the role and achievements of Headquarters 101 Area over five decades of its existence.

Headquarters 101 Area was raised in 1963 and was initially named Headquarters 101 Communication Zone for provision of logistic support to the field formations which had moved to the North East Region in the wake of Chinese Aggression in 1962.

During 1966, when Mizoram was gripped with insurgency, the Formation was tasked to conduct Counter Insurgency Operations in Mizoram and did a memorable job in winning the hearts and minds of the local populace, Defence PRO Grp Capt Amit Mahajan said.
The Formation continued to perform this task till 1969, when a new Army Division took over this responsibility, he said.
During the 1971 War, the Formation took active part in Combat Operations in Sylhet and Mymensingh districts of the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and was the first to reach Dacca (Dhaka), thereby earning the laurel "First in Dacca".

A photo exhibition highlighting the role played by Headquarters 101 Area was also a centre of attraction during the day.