Introduction

We are well known that India played a vital role in the Liberation war of Bangladesh.
Not only political but also military as well as people-to-people support was given by
India. Besides, India provided support and refuge to the people of Bangladesh.
India’s role in the Independence of Bangladesh was a unique history. Its contribution
was more of a facilitator than a creator. It was a war jointly won by India and the
people of East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, the
government and the people of India did unprecedented sacrifices for the people of
Bangladesh. The contribution of Indian government and the citizens of India is an
integral part of the history of the Independence war of Bangladesh.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi, the third Prime Minister of India, was born on November 19, 1917,
in a Kashmiri Pandit family in then Allahabad (Prayagraj). Born as Indira
Priyadarshini Gandhi, she is the only woman Prime Minister India ever got. Indira
Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India in 1966. She studied at prime institutions
like Ecole Nouvelle, Bex (Switzerland), Ecole Internationale, Geneva, Pupils’ Own
School, Poona and Bombay, Badminton School, Bristol, Vishwa Bharati,
Shantiniketan and Somerville College, Oxford. She was conferred Honorary
doctoral degree by a host of Universities globally. With an impressive academic
background she also got the Citation of Distinction from the Columbia University.
Smt. Indira Gandhi was actively involved in the freedom struggle. In her childhood,
she founded the ‘Bal Charkha Sangh’ and in 1930, the ‘Vanar Sena’ of children to
help the Congress party during the Non-Cooperation Movement. She was
imprisoned in September 1942, and worked in riot-affected areas of Delhi in 1947
under Gandhi’s guidance.
Indira Gandhi life history
Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November 1917 to Shri Jawaharlal Nehru and Smt.
Kamala Nehru in Allahabad, India. Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the prominent
players for India’s struggle for freedom from the British Raj. He later became the
first Prime Minister of independent India. Indira Gandhi was the only child of her
parents and grew up at her family estate in Allahabad called Anand Bhavan. Her
childhood days were quite lonely, with her father staying away due to his
commitments for the political activities or confined at prison. Her mother fell ill
frequently and had to be bed-ridden from time to time; she finally died at an early
age suffering from tuberculosis. Letters were her only mode of contact with her
father. She attended school intermittently until matriculation in 1934, and was
more often taught at home. She also studied at the Viswa Bharati University in
Shantiniketan. She, however, left the university and moved to Europe to attend to
her ailing mother. She attended the Badminton School for a brief period after her
mother passed away. Thereafter in 1937 she enrolled at Somerville College to
pursue History. She was suffering from ill-health and had to be attended to by
doctors constantly. Her studies got disrupted as she had to make repeated trips to
Switzerland for recovery. Due to her ill health and other disruptions, she had to
return to India without being able to complete her studies at the Oxford. However
the Oxford University later conferred her with an honorary degree. In 2010 she
was further honoured by the University of Oxford as one of the 10 illustrious
graduates of Asia, the Oxasians. She married Feroze Gandhi her husband, who was
a Parsi from Gujarat. They knew each other from Allahabad and later met in the
UK when he was studying at the London School of Economics. She chose her
younger son Sanjay Gandhi as her heir in politics but after his sudden death in June
1980 in a flying accident, Indira Gandhi persuaded her elder son Rajiv Gandhi to
join politics. Rajiv Gandhi at that time was a pilot who reluctantly quit his job to
join politics in February 1981. She died October 31, 1984, New Delhi.

Political Journey and achievements of Indira Gandhi

 From 1947 to 1964 she remained the Chief of Staff of Jawaharlal Nehru’s
administration that was highly centralized.
 In 1964 she was elected as member of the Rajya Sabha. She served as the
Minister of Information and Broadcasting under the government led by Shri
Lal Bahadur Shastri.
 After the untimely death of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, in January 1966 Indira
Gandhi was selected as the Prime Minister of India.
 She served the post till 1977. During this tenure she displayed exceptional
political skills. This term also experienced internal dissent in the party, leading
to a split in 1969.
 As a Prime Minister, she implemented radical changes in the political,
economic, national and international policies of the country.
 Nationalisation of 14 major commercial banks was one of the crucial
economic decisions taken at that period. This move proved extremely fruitful,
with geographical coverage of banks shooting up from 8,200 to 62,000, which
resulted in increased savings from the household sector and investment in
agricultural sector and small- and medium-sized enterprises.
 Her next move was to nationalise several industries like steel, copper, coal,
cotton textiles, refining and insurance industries, with the aim to protect
employment and interest of the organised labour. Private-sector industries
were brought under strict regulatory control.
 During oil crisis of 1971 after the war against Pakistan, Indira Gandhi
nationalized oil companies, which saw the formation of oil companies like
 Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and
Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL).
 The Green Revolution under her leadership made remarkable advances in the
agricultural produce of the country. As a result, the degree of self-sufficiency
increased.
 During the Pakistan Civil War in 1971, Indira Gandhi supported East
Pakistan, which led to the formation of Bangladesh.
 Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab were
declared as states under her administrative policy.
 Indira Gandhi tried to normalise relations with Pakistan and reopen diplomatic
establishments, which was appreciated by Pakistan’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but
the rise of General Zia-ul-Haq to power in 1978 marred all efforts for a better
relation.
 She made social reforms by bringing clauses of equal pay for work done for
both men and women in the Indian Constitution.
 The opposition parties blamed her of using unfair means after the 1971
elections. A case was filed against her in the Allahabad High Court, which
found her guilty of employing state machinery for campaigning in election.
 On June 1975 the court declared the elections as null and void and she was
unseated from the Lok Sabha and banned from contesting elections for the
next six years.
 During this time the country was under turmoil, recuperating from war against
Pakistan, facing strikes, political protests and disorder. To restrain the
situation, she advised Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the then President of India, to
declare a state of emergency that lasted for 21 months, from June 1975 to
March 1977. It gave her the power to rule by decree, suspending elections and
 all other civil rights. The whole nation came under the rule of the central
government.
 The aftermath of this move was reflected in the next elections when the
Congress party was defeated by a substantial margin, with both Indira Gandhi
and Sanjay Gandhi losing their seats.
 The next term of her tenure as Prime Minister from 1980 was mostly spent on
resolving the political issues of Punjab. Jarnail Singh Bindranwale and his
troops initiated a secessionist movement in 1983 and based themselves at the
Golden Temple, Amritsar, a place of worship for the Sikhs which is
considered as most sacred.
 Indira Gandhi commenced Operation Blue Star to control and curb the
terrorist situation. The operation, although successfully subdued Jarnail Singh
Bhindarwale and other terrorists, also saw loss of life of several civilians and
damage of the shrine. This resulted in outrage among the Sikh community
who condemned her and declared Jarnail Singh Bindrawale a martyr of the
21st century.
 Her famous publications include ‘The Years of Challenge’ (1966-69), ‘The
Years of Endeavour’ (1969-72), ‘India’ (London) in 1975; ‘Inde’ (Lausanne)
in 1979 and numerous other collections of speeches and writings.

Programmes, Institutions and Awards named after Indira Gandhi

 A low-cost housing programme initiated by the central government for the

rural poor was named the Indira Awaas Yojana.
 The Delhi International Airport is named after her as Indira Gandhi
International Airport.
 The largest university, the Indira Gandhi National Open University, was
named after her.
  In 1985 the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, an annual award
ceremony held on her death anniversary, was established by the Congress
party.
 The Indira Gandhi Prize, given annually, was established by the Indira Gandhi
Memorial Trust.

1. Source [https://www.elections.in/political-leaders/indira-gandhi.html]

The background of liberation war of Bangladesh

In December 1970, the general elections were held in Pakistan and Awami League
won a stunning victory winning 160 out of 162 seats in East Pakistan [Independence
of Bangladesh... 2004: 461]. It bagged 72.57 % of the total votes cast. Awami
League won a similar landslide victory in the Provincial Assembly elections also. It
won 288 seats out of 300 and bagged 89 % of total votes cast. Awami League won
all the 7 women seats in the National Assembly and all the 10 women seats in the
Provincial Assembly. As a result, Awami League emerged as the single majority
party in the Pakistan National Assembly with 167 seats out of 313. Mujibur Rahman
was the leader of Awami League. On the other side, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan
People’s Party won 88 seats (all from the western wing) and emerged as the second
largest Parliamentary party. However, without handing over power to Mujibur
Rahman, the leader of the majority party, an unprecedented outburst of popular
resistance shook Pakistan’s integrity. On March 25, 1971 the regular army of
Pakistani launched a brutal crackdown in Dhaka, particularly on students, the
Bengali police and paramilitary forces. It finally led to a fullscale war. On March
26, 1971, before being arrested by the Pakistan military, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
declared independence of East Pakistan and asked his people to continue the fight
‘till the last Pakistani army’ was driven away from Bangladesh [Panichkin, Musaev
2013]. When the elected representatives of people formed a government in exile,
with imprisoned Mujib becoming the President and Tajuddin Ahmed Prime
Minister. Pakistani troops, aided by their local Islamist collaborators, killed an
estimated three million people, raped over 300,000 women, destroyed homes, and
forced more than ten millions people to leave their homes and took shelter in Indian
territory during the bloody nine-month war. India decided to go on with the war,
when Indira Gandhi had failed to gain American support and sympathy for the
Bengalis. Finally she took a hard move and on August 9, 1971 signed a treaty of
peace, friendship and cooperation with Soviet Union. Supported by the bloc, led by
the Soviet Union, Indira Gandhi travelled across the world to mobilize support for
the beleaguered people of Bangladesh, in which India’s support was crucial.

2. Source [Panichkin Yu.N., Musaev F.A. (2013). Voennyi konflikt 1971 goda
mezhdu Indiei i Pakistanom. Natsional’naya tragediya Pakistana i otnosheniya s
Afganistanom [The military conflict in 1971 between India and Pakistan. The
national tragedy of Pakistan and relations with Afghanistan]. Fundamental’nye
issledovaniya, № 10-7, pp. 1607—1610.]

Indira Gandhi’s role in Bangladesh liberation war

As a Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi saw a lot of ups and downs and also shaped the
contours of politics in the country and is most fondly remembered for her role in the
1971 India-Pakistan war that led to the formation of Bangladesh.
Personal, Political and diplomatic initiatives

The personal, political and diplomatic role of the former Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi in the Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971 is inseparable from the
country’s history. From 24 October 1971 Indira Gandhi started travelling to the USA
and Western Europe countries (Belgium, German, France, and Great Britain) with a
view to create world public opinion and gain support. The US president Richard
Nixon called Indians aggressors and ordered to support Pakistan by the US troops
deployed in Vietnam. On 9 August 1971, Indira Gandhi signed a twenty-year treaty
of friendship and co-operation with the Soviet Union. It was greatly shocking for the
United States, and decreasing the possibility, that China would become involved in
the conflict. The Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev assured that if the US or China
attacked India, the Soviet Union would take severe counter measures. China an ally
of Pakistan, had been providing moral support to Pakistan, but little military aid, and
did not advance its troops to the border with India. Indira Gandhi being determined
to protect the interest of Bengalis launched a diplomatic offensive efforts in the early
autumn of 1971 touring Europe, and was successful in getting both the United
Kingdom and France to break with the United States, and block pro-Pakistan
directives in the United Nations Security Council. Indira Gandhi addressed to the
India League, London October 31, 1971, which is evidence of her strong support,
and concern for the people of Bangladesh and its independence. Under the leadership
of Indira Gandhi all out supports were given by India to the struggling people of the
East Pakistan (Bangladesh) during the liberation war.

3. Source [Independence of Bangladesh in 266 days (2004). (History and

Documentary Evidence). Ed. Muhammad Nurul Quadir. Dhaka: Mukto Publishers.
P-287, 377, 598]
Refugees Shelter

On 27 March 1971, the Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi, expressed full
support of her government to the Bangladeshi struggle for independence. The
Bangladesh-India border was opened to allow the Bangladeshi refugees safe shelter
in India. The governments of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura
established refugee camps along the border. Almost 10 million men and women who
were forced to leave their motherland to save themselves entered various states of
India like West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where
they lived as refugees. India willingly took the responsibility for taking care of the
unfortunate men, women and children for nine months. Mrs Gandhi, a courageous
and politically sharp farsighted Indian Premier extended her support with full
cooperation of Indian people. She honoured the refugees on humanitarian ground
who took shelter to save their lives from the brutal killings of Pakistani Army. Mrs
Gandhi provided them food, medicines, clothes and other essential items despite
financial constraints.

Formation of the Mitro Bahini

On November 21, 1971, India formally formed the joint command composed of
the Indian Armed Forces and the Bangladesh freedom fighters, also called the
Mukti Bahini, Bangladeshi army officers and voluntary workers from India
immediately started using these camps for the recruitment and training of Mukti
Bahini guerrillas and placed it under Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora
shortly after Indira Gandhi’s trip to Europe had encouraged no doubt by the
reactions of the European leaders. The war of liberation was on an irreversible
track when the joint command was formed. Bangabandhu’s confidence in his
people was in full evidence. The Mukti Bahini with the people behind them
successfully cornered the 93,000-strong Pakistan military into a hole where defeat
stared them in the face. The formation of the joint command sent out the signal to
Pakistan that India was preparing a military strike. Ironically, it also provided
Pakistan with the opportunity of an exit out of the deep hole its military was in
Bangladesh. The Pakistanis thus made the first move on December 3, 1971 and
attacked positions on the western front to start the third Pakistan-India war hoping
to take the conflict to the UN Security Council and get a ceasefire.
4. Source [https://www.newagebd.net/article/97286/indira-gandhis-role-in-
bangladesh-liberation-war].

Recognition of Bangladesh as an independent state

The subject of recognition was complementary to the birth of a nation. At first, the
responsibility of recognition came on the shoulder of India. On 6th December, Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha: “Pakistan had declared war against
India. There is no importance of peaceful solution. Bangladesh people are engaged
in their struggle for existence and India is fighting against aggression. They are, like
us, fighting against a common enemy. I am pleased to inform the Houses that in the
existing situation and due to repeated request of Bangladesh government, we have
carefully decided to grant recognition to People’s Republic of Bangladesh”. For
Bangladesh, it was a tough diplomatic effort to earn the nation’s recognition because
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto clearly stated that if any nation recognized Bangladesh, then
Pakistan would break all diplomatic relations with that nation. For recognizing
Bangladesh, Pakistan really suspended diplomatic relation with a few countries. The
Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi, made the statement in Indian Parliament
announcing the decision of the Government of India to grant recognition to ‘the
Government of Gana Praja Tantri Bangladesh’ which in essence highlighted the
struggle and travails of the Bangali nation.
5. Source [Salam A. (2008). Role of Indian People in Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Dialogue, 10 (2). URL: http://www.asthabharati.org/Dia_Oct%2008/sal.htm
(accessed: 12.09.2016)].

Conclusion

Indira Gandhi’s role and India’s in the liberation war of Bangladesh and its
emergence as an independent and sovereign country have been talked about in
Bangladesh across all divides but mainly in private spheres, not public ones, and
seldom in any details. There appears to be a taboo in the country about giving Indira
Gandhi and India too much credit for reasons never explained satisfactorily.