Independence Day 146;75

Some time around the middle of December 1974, the Research and Analysis Wing RAW office, then located in the barracks near Naval Headquarters....

Some time around the middle of December 1974, the Research and Analysis Wing R038;AW office, then located in the barracks near Naval Headquarters, INS India, started receiving disturbing reports. As more dispatches filtered in, a rather alarming picture began to emerge; apparently, Mujib-ur-Rehman8217;s life was in danger.

After the 1971 war, large numbers of West Pakistani nationals had been stranded in Bangladesh. With Islamabad refusing to repatriate them, they had been stuck for years, eking out miserable lives in shanty towns. However, it was not they who posed the threat. The real danger lay in the surprisingly numerous pro-Pakistan Bengali elements, mostly government officials, who were instigating disgruntled army officers to carry out a coup. Their grouse 8212; widespread corruption and nepotism being practised by the existing regime.

Convinced of the seriousness of the situation, R038;AW bosses briefed then prime minister, Indira Gandhi. She, in turn, tried to warn Mujib, but he laughed at her fears. 8220;I8217;m the father of my nation,8221; he is reported to have told her. 8220;No Bangladeshi will harm me.8221;

Eventually, Indira Gandhi realised the futility of trying to persuade Mujib that he was likely to be overthrown. Falling back on the only other feasible alternative, she requested him to allow an Indian civilian helicopter to be stationed in Dhaka. An over-confident Mujib reluctantly agreed. Shortly thereafter, an R038;AW MI-8 parked itself inconspicuously in one corner of the Kurmitola airbase.

August 15, 1975 dawned. Indira Gandhi rose to address the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort. It was obvious that something serious had happened. Her face was ashen, her voice shaky. Nevertheless, she managed to deliver the standard speech that is the Indian PM8217;s annual routine.

Hours earlier, just as dawn was breaking, the two Indian MI-8 pilots had received an urgent message, 8220;Get out while you can.8221; They revved up their engines and raced westwards at maximum speed. But it was too late. They had been betrayed. Next morning, our newspapers were full of screaming headlines, reporting the assassination of Mujib. A small paragraph on one of the inner pages, laconically stated, 8220;An Indian MI-8 helicopter crashed in Bangladesh yesterday. They were no survivors.8221;