The resounding victory of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which led to the birth of Bangladesh, is a celebrated chapter in India's history. Yet, beneath the narrative of triumph lies a persistent and deeply unsettling enigma: the unresolved fate of 54 Indian soldiers who vanished during the conflict.

Indo-Pak War 1971

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan that took place from December 3 to December 16, 1971. It is also known as the Third Indo-Pakistani War and was a direct consequence of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

The primary cause was the Bengali nationalist movement in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) seeking independence from West Pakistan. This movement was fueled by significant cultural, linguistic, geographical, and political differences between the two wings of Pakistan.

Following the 1970 Pakistani elections, where the Awami League (an East Pakistani party) won a majority but was denied power by the West Pakistani establishment, widespread protests erupted in East Pakistan. The Pakistani military responded with a brutal crackdown known as "Operation Searchlight" on March 25, 1971, leading to widespread atrocities, mass killings, and a massive refugee crisis.

Millions of Bengalis, estimated at around 10 million, fled the violence in East Pakistan and sought refuge in neighboring India, primarily in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura. This created an immense humanitarian and economic burden on India.

India, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, provided support to the Bengali nationalist forces (Mukti Bahini) and eventually intervened militarily due to the humanitarian crisis and strategic considerations.

The war culminated with the surrender of approximately 93,000 Pakistani troops in East Pakistan to the joint forces of the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini in Dhaka. This was the largest surrender of armed personnel since World War II.

The missing 54

The fog of war often obscures details, but the disappearance of these 54 men wasn't a simple case of battlefield casualties. The Indian government strongly suspected that these soldiers were taken as prisoners of war (POWs) by Pakistan. This assertion was based on various factors, including the last known locations of the soldiers near the border or in areas that fell under Pakistani control during the fighting. Some were reportedly captured during skirmishes, while others went missing after the enemy engaged their units.

The list of these 54 soldiers:

IC-12712 Maj SPS Waraich, 15 Punjab
IC-14590 Maj KJS Sandhu, 15 Punjab
IC-14457 Maj JS Malik, 8 Raj. Rif
IC-18790 Maj AK Ghosh, 15 Rajput
IC-20230 Maj SC Guleri, 9 Jat
SS-19807 Maj AK Suri, 5 Assam
R-295Z Lt Cdr Ashok Roy, Indian Navy [INAS 310] VrC, NM
IC-23148 Capt Kalyan Singh Rathod, 5 Assam
IC-23283 Capt Giri Raj Singh, 5 Assam
IC-19294 Capt Kamal Bakshi, 5 Sikh
SS-20095 Capt Ravinder Kaura, 39 Medium Regiment, VrC
SS-22940 2/Lt Paras Ram Sharma, 5/8 GR
SS-23957 2/Lt Sudhir Mohan Sabharwal, 87 Light Regiment
4657 F(P) Wg Cdr HS Gill, 47 Sqn
5327 F(P) Sqn Ldr Mohinder Kumar Jain, 27 Sqn,VrC
5006 F(P) Sqn Ldr Jal Manekshaw Mistry, 20 Sqn
8404 F(P) Flt Lt Ramesh Gulabrao Kadam, TACDE
8956 F(P) Flt Lt Sudhir Kumar Goswami, 5 Sqn
9441 F(P) Flt Lt Harvinder Singh, 222 Sqn
7662 F(P) Flt Lt VV Tambay, 32 Sqn
7669 F(P) Flt Lt LM Sasoon, JBCU
7812 F(N) Flt Lt RM Advani, JBCU
7819 F(N) Flt Lt KS Nanda, 35 Sqn
8659 F(P) Flt Lt SC Sandal, 35 Sqn
9773 F(P) Flt Lt N Shankar, 32 Sqn
9015 F(P) Flt Lt GS Rai, 20 Sqn
9030 F(P) Flt Lt Ashok Balwant Dhavale, 1 Sqn
8160 F(P) Flt Lt Tanmay Singh Dandoss, 26 Sqn
10239 F(P) Flt Lt SC Mahajan, 5 Sqn
5105 GD(P) Flt Lt Babul Guha, 1 Sqn [Indo-Pak War 1965]
10576 F(P) Fg Offr KL Malkani, 27 Sqn
4406 F(P) Fg Offr KP Murlidharan, 20 Sqn
9208735 L/NK Jagdish Raj, Mahar Regiment
682211303 L/NK Hazoora Singh
1146819 Gnr Sujan Singh, 14 Field Regiment [Indo-Pak War 1965]
1157419 Gnr Madan Mohan, 94 Field Regiment
1239603 Gnr Pal Singh, 181 Light Regiment
2461830 Sep Daler Singh, 15 Punjab
SS-22536 Capt Om Prakash Dalal, 14 Grenadiers
SS-19624 Capt DS Jamwal, 81 Field Regiment
Capt Vashisht Nath
IC-58589 Lt Vijay Kumar Azad, 1/9 GR
4896 F(P) Sqn Ldr JD Kumar, 3 Sqn
4409 GD(P) Sqn Ldr Devaprashad Chaterjee, 7 Sqn/20 Sqn [Indo-Pak War 1965]
10249 F(N) Flt Lt Manohar Purohit, 5 Sqn
10871 F(P) Fg Offr Sudhir Tyagi, 27 Sqn
9812 F(P) Flt Lt SK Chibber, 108 Sqn
7207 GD(P) Pilot Offr TS Sethi, 31 Sqn [Indo-Pak War 1965]
JC-41339 Sub Assa Singh, 5 Sikh
JC-59 Sub Kali Das, J&K Militia [Later re-designated as 8 JAK LI]
13719586 L/HAV Krishan Lal Sharma, 1 JAK RIF
2459087 Sep Jagir Singh, 16 Punjab
Sep Jaspal Singh, 15 Punjab

Pakistan's denial

However, Pakistan has consistently denied holding any Indian POWs from the 1971 war beyond the officially exchanged personnel. This unwavering denial forms the crux of the agonizing mystery. If Pakistan didn't hold them, what happened to them? Were they killed in action and their remains never recovered? Did they somehow get lost in the chaos of war? The lack of definitive answers has fueled decades of speculation and pain.

Adding layers to this complex narrative are the numerous, albeit often unverified, accounts that have surfaced over the years. Returning Indian spies, who had infiltrated Pakistani territories, and even some Indian civilians who were imprisoned in Pakistan during or after the war, have claimed to have encountered Indian military personnel who were not part of the official POW exchange.

These testimonies, though difficult to corroborate definitively, provided slivers of hope to the grieving families, suggesting that their loved ones might still be alive, languishing in Pakistani prisons.

The case of V.V Tambay

One particular case involves Flight Lieutenant V.V. Tambay, whose aircraft went missing during a bombing. His family has been at the forefront of the movement seeking answers, citing eyewitness accounts of his presence in Pakistani prisons years after the war. Similar stories surround other missing personnel, with families recounting alleged sightings or information passed through unofficial channels.

What does the Indian government do for them?

The Indian government's handling of the "Missing 54" issue has also drawn criticism. While consistently maintaining the possibility of their being held in Pakistan, the official stance has sometimes appeared inconsistent. Reports of affidavits declaring some as "confirmed killed" at certain points, only to revert to "missing" later, have eroded the trust of the families and fueled accusations of a lack of transparency and a failure to aggressively pursue the matter.
The families themselves have become tireless advocates for their lost loved ones. They formed associations, like the "Missing 54 Families Association," and have relentlessly pursued every possible avenue for information. They have filed petitions in courts, appealed to national and international human rights organizations, and organized protests to keep the issue alive in the public consciousness. Their struggle is a testament to the enduring power of familial love and the refusal to accept uncertainty as a final answer.

The mystery of the 54 missing soldiers of the 1971 Indo-Pak war remains a stark and painful reminder of the enduring human cost of conflict. It underscores the moral imperative to account for every soldier who goes to war and the profound responsibility of nations to provide answers to the families of the missing.

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