Two years ago, Shekhar Chakraborty first visited the Indian Army Command Museum in Fort William, Kolkata. An author and vexillologist, it was Chakraborty’s interest in military history and the flags on display at the museum that drew him to Fort William. The septuagenarian remembers the October day of 2022 vividly. “I am close to 80 but I still remember. Something interesting happened. A fighter from the 1971 People’s War also came to the museum that day,” says Chakraborty.
Veteran Major General Ian Cardozo AVSM SM (retd), whose battalion, 4/5 Gurkha Rifles, was deployed in what is now Bangladesh during the country’s liberation war. The meeting that led to the event reminded Cardozo of the war as the two visited the museum’s galleries.
This year, on Victory Day on December 16, Fort William will witness various events commemorating India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. And it was initially speculated to mean a deterioration in Indo-Bangladesh relations. The liberators who fought against Pakistan for their freedom, freedom fighters of Bangladesh will skip the annual program of the Eastern Command in Kolkata. 10-12 veterans have confirmed participation in this year’s commemoration.
From ammunition storage dumps to military museums
Fort William’s Command Museum is the only one of its kind in West Bengal that documents the origins of the 328-year-old British-built fort, the early days of Calcutta, and the three major wars witnessed by the Eastern Command of the armed forces. : World War II, Indo-China War of 1962 and Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
Inside the Command Museum at Fort William, Kolkata. Photo credit: Neha Banka
Although the museum was first established in 2018, it was rarely opened to the public and public access was only available in 2022. Even today many in Kolkata are unaware of its existence. But this lesser-known museum in the city is one of the few institutions to document the history of the Eastern Command, especially its important role during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.
“The Eastern Command led the war in 1971. It was integral to all operations during the eastern theater of the war,” said an Indian armed forces official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to comment.
Over the years, especially post-Covid in 2020, the museum has expanded its collection to highlight not only the role of the Eastern Command in the 1971 war but also other important wars to which it contributed.
The ground floor building that houses the museum was once an ammunition storage dump when the fort was still under British control in pre-independence India. “We have a weapons gallery next to the museum to preserve the weapons used during that time,” said the PRO of the Ministry of Defense in Kolkata. indianexpress.com.
Photographs on Flags: Chronicling a Piece of History
Fort William covers an area of about 177.42 acres in Kolkata and is octagonal in shape with five sides facing the land and three sides facing the Hooghly River. In 1963, the Eastern Command of the Indian Army was shifted from Lucknow to Fort William.
The 1971 Gallery of the Command Museum in Fort William pays tribute to the Mukti Bahini which consisted of army and paramilitary personnel and civilians who fought for the liberation of Bangladesh. Photo credit: Neha Banka
The museum has six galleries that document major turning points in the history of Fort William and the Eastern Command. According to the response of the PRO, Ministry of Defence, Kolkata, “Eminent scholars” have contributed to the research that went into combining the galleries, much of which was displayed in the museum during the fort’s early days. Retrieved from 1995 book Fort William: A Historical PerspectiveAuthored by Bhaskar Chakraborty, Basudev Chattopadhyay and Suranjan Das.
The 1971 Gallery of the Command Museum in Fort William pays tribute to the Mukti Bahini which consisted of army and paramilitary personnel and civilians who fought for the liberation of Bangladesh. Photo credit: Neha Banka
The first gallery is devoted to the history of Fort William in pre-independence India, while the second gallery focuses on the armed forces during World War II (1935-1945). In his 2019 book Calcutta Under FireDavid Lockwood writes, “Calcutta served as an industrial centre, port and transit point for troops to fight the Japanese in Malaya and then Burma. It was a city of considerable strategic importance to the Allies.” Therefore, a part of the museum is dedicated to World War II.
Another gallery focuses on the Indo-China war of 1962 which centered around the Aksai Chin area. The fifth gallery focuses extensively on the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Here, in addition to archival photographs, the museum also houses some artefacts and regimental flags captured from the Pakistan Army during the war.
1971 One of the most notable exhibits in the gallery is a large flag that once belonged to the 18 Punjab of the Pakistan Army, which was brought to India after the Indian Army captured Jessore. Like all captured flags, including regimental flags belonging to various battalions of the Pakistan Army during the 1971 war, these flags are displayed on the reverse following etiquette.
“After a war, captured flags are displayed upside down to show that the flag was captured by the victor. I enjoyed performing and writing because often exhibitions don’t have good texts,” says Chakraborty.
The Command Museum at Fort William houses regimental flags and Pakistani flags captured by the Indian Army during the 1971 war. Photo credit: Shekhar Chakraborty
The 1971 Gallery of the Command Museum is important from an archival point of view as it documents the significant events of the 13-Day War and the people who contributed to it. The 1971 gallery also pays tribute to the Mukti Vahini which consisted of army and paramilitary personnel and civilians who fought for Bangladesh’s independence.
Although the gallery only shows important moments of the 1971 war as part of its permanent exhibition, an extensive collection of archival photographs of the Eastern Command is displayed during the annual Victory Day celebrations. It contains a fascinating collection of photographs and declassified maps, covering various aspects of the war – from pictures of Mukti Bahini training weapons to photographs of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
A photograph of Indira Gandhi with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh in 1971 which is part of Fort William’s archive collection. Photo credit: Neha Banka
Repository of the past
The museum is also an important resource for researchers and scholars focused on military history, says Manas Dutt, assistant professor in the history department at Alia University, whose research area covers issues related to war and conflict in South Asia. The Eastern Command played a decisive role in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Museums like the Command Museum need to be opened to the general public as well as researchers working on the military history of South Asia and India. It will spark interest in generations of people across genders and classes,” says Dutt, who has visited Fort William before for his research.
A Pakistani flag captured by Indian forces during the 1971 war, on display at the Command Museum in Fort William. Photo credit: Shekhar Chakraborty
He believes that the museum can also connect with the general public. “By opening such museums, civil-military relations can be smoothened and it will create more unity for better understanding between these two stakeholders. Academic institutions should tie up with such museums to generate interest in war studies or war and genocide among scholars and the general public,” says Dutt.
Part of Fort William’s archival collection is a photograph of Salvation Army members training in arms. Photo credit: Neha Banka
In September this year, 21-year-old Rohit Mandal, a recent graduate of Dumdum Motijhil Rabindra College, visited the Command Museum with a large group of friends and felt like “the liberation struggle of 1971 came alive”. in front of him. For Mandal, the museum was an accessible place where he could learn more about the history of the Bangladesh Liberation War.
“There may be a few museums dedicated to guns and artillery, but the one in Fort William is a war museum and we don’t have it anywhere else in the state,” says Chakraborty.
Why should you buy our membership?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be confused and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package