The 1971 war | The liberation of Bangladesh

On the evening of April 10, 1971, the Kolkata station of the Radio Free Bangladesh, an offshoot of Akashvani, announced that a piece of important news would be broadcast after 10 pm. Word spread like wildfire and people across India and Pakistan rushed to the nearest radio-owning neighbours, hoping to catch the announcement.

Late in the evening, the dramatic voice of Debdulal Bandyopadhyay announced that the government of independent Bangladesh had been formed under the presidency of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Syed Nazrul Islam would be the Vice President. “We will build a new Bangladesh on the ruins of the old East Pakistan,” said Tajuddin Ahmad, the Prime Minister, in a speech that electrified India and East Pakistan. It was an unprecedented moment in Indian history when the head of a Government-in-exile addressed the people of his country from the Indian government's radio network.

The war for independence was a defining chapter in South Asian history, claiming millions of lives in the struggle for freedom. The cries of resistance and the dream of a free Bangladesh remain indelibly etched in the memories of those who experienced it.