TheIndian Army had no standby force ready in 1971 with the specific task of attackingEast Pakistan, one of the many reasons whyIndia did not immediately intervene afterPakistan launchedOperation Searchlight in March 1971. Indian Army'sEastern Command was tasked with defending the northern and eastern borders and fighting the insurgencies inNagaland,Mizoram andNaxalites inWest Bengal at that time.[1]
Mukti Bahini, aided by the Indian army throughOperation Jackpot, led the struggle against thePakistan Army while the Indian Army readied for intervention. GeneralM. A. G. Osmani, Commander-in-ChiefBangladesh Forces, had divided Mukti Bahini forces into 11 geographical sectors for command and control purpose. Mukti Bahini forces numbered 30,000 regular soldiers (including 3 brigades containing 8 infantry battalions and 3 artillery batteries) and at least 100,000 guerrillas by December 1971.
The Indian Army Eastern Command assembled two existing infantry corps, theIV Corps and theXXXIII Corps, for operations in Bangladesh, and created a new corps (II Corps)[2] besides reorganising the 101 Communication Zone as a combat formation.[3] On 21 November 1971, the Indian and Bangladesh forces were put under a joint command structureIndia Bangladesh force in the eastern theatre, led byLieutenant GeneralJagjit Singh Aurora, and this force came to be known asMitro Bahini. In addition to 29 battalions of theBorder Security Force (BSF),[4] Mukti Bahini guerrillas operating near the border or awaiting deployment in camps inside India were organised into infantry companies and attached to various Indian formations.
GOC-in-C (Indian Army):Lieutenant GeneralJagjit Singh Aurora
COS:Major GeneralJFR Jacob
Director Military Operations: Major GeneralInderjit Singh Gill,MC
DirectorOperation Jackpot: Lieutenant General B.N. 'Jimmy' Sirkar
Bangladesh Forces Liaison: Group Captain A.K. Khandkar,
HQ: 8, Theater Road, Kolkata
Units attached to Eastern Command but outside Bangladesh operational area:
From IV Corps:
From XXXIII Corps:
Airborne forces attached to Eastern Command:
Eastern Command Reserve:
GOC: Major General J.P. Chowdhury HQ: Kolkata
Area of Operation:Khulna,Jessore,Kushtia andFaridpur districts
GOC: Lieutenant GeneralT.N. 'Tappy' Raina
HQ: Krishnanagar,West Bengal
GOC: Major General Dalbir Singh
GOC: Major General M.S. Barar
HQ: Krishnanagar
Area of Operation:Rajshahi,Bogra,Dinajpur andRangpur districts
GOC: Lieutenant General M. L. Thapan
HQ:Siliguri, West Bengal
GOC: Maj. Gen. Lachman Singh
HQ:Balurghat, West Bengal
(Eastern Command HQ Reserve)GOC: Major General P. C. Reddy
HQ:Cooch Bihar, West Bengal
Area of Operation:Mymensingh andTangail districts
GOC: Major General Gurbax Singh Gil
HQ: Guwahati,Assam
Area of Operation:Sylhet,Comilla,Noakhali &Chittagong districts
GOC Lieutenant GeneralSagat Singh
HQ: Agartala,Tripura
GOC: Major GeneralK. V. Krishna Rao
GOC: Major General B.F. Gonsalves
GOC: Major General R.D. Hira
FOC-in-C:Vice AdmiralNilakanta Krishnan
HQ:Vishakhapatnam,Andhra Pradesh
FOCEF:Rear AdmiralS. H. Sarma
A liaison officer from the Navy was posted at Fort William to coordinate matters with the Army Eastern Command. The fleet was at its peacetime standing when radio intercepts warned of PNSGhazi entering the Bay of Bengal.INS Vikrant and part of theEastern Fleet was moved to theAndamans as a result.
Twogunboats under Indian officers and crewed by Bengali seamen were engaged inOperation Hotpants prior to 3 December 1971, harassing merchant traffic to East Pakistan and laying mines on the waterways. After 6 December, when the Indian government recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign nation, the crew wore uniforms of their respective organisations.
Squadron CO: CommanderM.N.R. Samant (On deputation from Indian Navy)
AOC-in-C:Air MarshalH. C. Dewan, Temporary advanced HQ at Fort William
Prior to 1971, Indian Air Force had two command centers dealing with the East, Eastern Air Command (HQShillong) responsible for the North Eastern Border, and theCentral Air Command (HQAllahabad), looking after areas south of theGanges river.Air Chief MarshalPratap Chandra Lal formed an advance HQ at Fort William after consultation with Major General Jacob to coordinate operations with the army before the start of the war.
Western Sector:
North East and North Western Sector:AOC-in-C:Air Vice Marshal Devasher HQ: Shillong
CO:Flight Lieutenant Sultan Mahmud HQ:Dimapur,Nagaland, thenAgartala
This unit was formed by Bengali pilots and technicians defecting from thePakistan Air Force. Flying light aircraft donated by India, they launched attacks on depots and communication lines on 2 December 1971, before the start of the war. The unit relocated to Agartala and then Shamshernagar after 3 December 1971.