The iconic frame of India’s greatest military victory — a painting of the Pakistani army signing the Instrument of Surrender in Dhaka on December 16, 1971 — has been shifted to the Manekshaw Centre, the army said on Monday.
Last week, military veterans had castigated the Narendra Modi government and the military top brass for removing the painting from the wall of the army chief’s office and replacing it with another painting “drawn from the teachings of the Mahabharata” that shows tanks and helicopters on the banks of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh, overseen by a charioted warrior, a saffron-clad sage and a bird.
Veterans had called the removal of the celebrated painting a “disgrace”, an assault on military history and an insult to those who fought and fell in the 1971 Bangladesh war.
In the Lok Sabha on Monday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raised her voice against the removal of the painting and termed it an “insult to the armed forces”.
Priyanka and other Congress MPs staged a symbolic walkout from the House, raising the slogan “Sena ka apman bandh karo (Stop insulting the army)".
In a social media post, the army on Monday said on the occasion of Vijay Divas, which marks the victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war, that army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and his wife Sunita had installed the Instrument of Surrender "to its most befitting place, the Manekshaw Centre, named after the architect and the hero of the 1971 war, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw".
“This painting is a testament to one of the greatest military victories of the Indian Armed Forces and the commitment of India to justice and humanity for all. Its placement at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, will benefit a large audience due to substantial footfall of diverse audiences & dignitaries from India and abroad at this venue,” the army said.
AAP MP Vikram Sahney on Monday demanded that the painting be displayed in Parliament. “This iconic image is not just a symbol of military victory but also of India’s resolve to stand up for the oppressed and fight for justice on the global stage. It deserves to be prominently displayed in national institutions to inspire future generations,” he said.
