AGARATLA, Dec 16 (TIWN): Vijay Diwas has been celebrated in Tripura on Wednesday to commemorate the heroic soldiers of the Indian Army, who laid down their lives in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War that led to the formation of the new country following division of Pakistan.

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, accompanied by high dignitaries and security officials, laid the wreaths in memory of the slain soldiers.

India's Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh officials and troopers exchanged sweets at various locations along the international border to mark the celebration. To commemorate the memories of those who laid down their lives, a wreath laying ceremony was organised at the War Memorial at post office Chowmuhani in Agartala. DM west Millind Ramteke, SDM Manik Lal Das, Jail minister Manindra Reang  also paid floral tribute to the  slain soldiers.

Vijay Diwas is celebrated in Tripura to commemorate the memories of the brave soldiers of the Indian Army who laid down their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War. On December 16, 1971, India achieved its victory over Pakistan. The Border Security Force exchanged sweets with their counterparts in the Border Guards of Bangladesh at different places along the India-Bangladesh border. Tripura was the war headquarters of Bangladesh liberation soldiers, and from here they launched guerrilla war against the Pakistani soldiers. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, 10 million men, women and children from then East Pakistan took shelter in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya. The Liberation War, as it is called in Bangladesh, later turned into a full-scale India-Pakistan war, leading to surrenders of thousands of Pakistani soldiers in December 1971. India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh.

History says that Tripura had six to seven camps in four sectors from where the 'muktijoddhas' (freedom fighters) fought the Pakistani forces in the nine-month-long war in 1971 that led to the creation of Bangladesh, which was earlier East Pakistan. Over 1,600,000 Bangladeshis - a number larger than the state's then total population of 1,500,000 - had taken shelter in Tripura alone.

The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict over duration of about 9 months, putting Bangladesh erstwhile East Pakistan and India against the State of Pakistan. The war started on 26 March 1971 between the State of Pakistan and East Pakistan, India intervened on 3 December 1971. Armed conflict ended on 16 December 1971 and resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh.  On 16 December 1971, the allied forces of the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini defeated the West Pakistani forces deployed in the East.