India gifts B’desh copter, two tanks

Dhaka, April 27

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India has handed over to Bangladesh a Mi-4 helicopter and two PT-76 tanks as part of the 1971 Liberation War memorabilia. “The gifts are to be showcased at the Bangladesh army and air force museums,” a defence ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

He said the helicopter and the tanks were part of gifts given by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her Bangladesh visit last year.

The memorabilia included 25 weapons like pistol, rifles, machine guns and mortars alongside a large number of artefact, historical photographs, archival audio and video clippings, maps and battle records related to the 1971 Liberation War.

“While most items of memorabilia have been handed over to the Bangladesh National Museum; the larger items i.e. PT-76 tanks and Mi-4 helicopter are now being handed over to the Bangladesh army and air force,” Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.

The light amphibious PT-76 tanks were used by the Indian Army’s armoured regiments in 1971 and played a crucial role in crossing rivers and water bodies during the war.

Analysts said these tanks often outclassed a much larger force and technically superior M34 Chafee tanks, used by the Pakistan army in the war.

The Mi-4 transport helicopter was extensively utilised for heliborne operations by the India-Bangladesh joint forces in the eastern sector confirming early defeat of Pakistani troops in 1971.

The Indian Air Force had earlier gifted Bangladesh one Hunter jet fighter, one Dakota transport aircraft. The Indian Navy too had gifted memorabilia of INS Vikrant, models of ships that took part in the war and archival photographs. The Indian Army gifts included six 3.7 Howitzer guns. — PTI