Tangail Air Drop during Liberation War re-enacted in India’s Agra

Agra, the city of Taj Mahal, was today the venue of an emotional trek down the memory lane for five retired officers of the Indian army who took part in the famous Tangail air drop by the army's 2nd parachute battalion which cut off the retreat of Pakistani troops from the north towards Dhaka during the Liberation War on this day, half a century ago.

It was on December 11 in 1971 that a successful airdrop of the 2nd Parachute battalion was carried out in Tangail.

Led by Lt Col Kulwant Singh Pannu with an Artillery Battery of 17 Parachute Field Regiment, platoon of 411 (Independent) Parachute Field Company, medical detachment, surgical team and other administrative troops were tasked to cut off the retreat of the Pakistani troops towards Dhaka.

That landmark event was re-enacted in Agra today in the presence of the Victory Flame as a poignant and touching tribute to the veterans who had participated in the air drop 50 years ago, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

At the aid drop zone, a weapons and equipment display and a photo gallery were also setup to showcase the Tangail air drop.

The army veterans, who had participated in the Tangail air drop and subsequent operations in Bangladesh, assembled today to witness the commemoration of the landmark event, triggering memories among Lt Gen (retd) Nirbhay Sharma who was the Adjutant of the 2nd Parachute Battalion during the 1971 war, and paratroopers Lt Gen (retd) R R Goswami, Maj Gen (retd) Shiv Jaswal, Col (retd) Thomas Kochappan and Col (retd) Pramod Tembe.

The mass parachute jump today was led by Lt Gen Yogendra Dimri, who heads the Central Command, who later felicitated the 1971 war veterans to honour their service and contribution to the nation.

The event was witnessed by a large number of war veterans, senior serving paratroopers, civil dignitaries, families of the army personnel and school children.