Iconic Statue Of Pak Army's 1971 Surrender Vandalised In Bangladesh? A Fact Check

A statue meant to commemorate the liberation of Bangladesh has been destroyed by "anti-India vandals", claimed Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today. 

Mr Tharoor shared an image of the broken statue which depicted the moment Pakistan surrendered after the 1971 war. The Congress leader's claim was immediately met with a counter, with some suggesting that the statues were not broken but were sculpted in that manner. 

"Sad to see images like this of statues at the 1971 Shaheed Memorial Complex, Mujibnagar, destroyed by anti-India vandals," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).  

"This follows disgraceful attacks on the Indian cultural centre, temples, and Hindu homes in several places, even as reports came in of Muslim civilians protecting other minority homes and places of worship," he added.

Sad to see images like this of statues at the 1971 Shaheed Memorial Complex, Mujibnagar, destroyed by anti-India vandals. This follows disgraceful attacks on the Indian cultural centre, temples and Hindu homes in several places, even as reports came in of Muslim civilians… pic.twitter.com/FFrftoA81T

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 12, 2024

Neeraj Rajput, a news entrepreneur, shared an earlier post from 2018 where he posted the same images from his 2016 visit to Bangladesh - of the statues on the ground depicting the atrocities committed by Pakistan on people of Bangladesh.

Here is the original tweet of 16th Dec ‘18 where I had posted picture of 2016 which I had clicked during my visit to #Mujibnagar 👇🏽 https://t.co/LZFmKdrOn4

— Neeraj Rajput (@neeraj_rajput) August 12, 2024

The 1971 war not only liberated Bangladesh but also dealt Pakistan a crushing blow. The statue depicted the signing of the 'Instrument Of Surrender' by Pakistan Army Major-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi to the Indian Army and Bangladesh's Mukti Bahini. Major-General Niazi surrendered with his 93,000 troops before Lt General Jagjit Singh Aurora, then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of India's Eastern Command. This was the largest military surrender since World War II.

A student-led uprising in Bangladesh has led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several other top officials. At least 450 people were killed in more than a month of deadly protests that led to Hasina's exit on August 5.

Hasina faces allegations of murder, forced disappearance, money laundering, and corruption, and must face the law, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, a senior member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party said.

The protests have also been severely harsh on Hindus residing in the country who have been subjected to several attacks against Hindu households, temples, and businesses. Hindus are the largest minority faith in mostly Muslim Bangladesh and are considered a steadfast support base for Hasina's party, the Awami League.

Members of minority communities in the violence-hit nation have faced more than 205 incidents of attacks across 52 districts since the fall of the government.