Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday said an Indian Army battalion that took part in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war has been deployed in the northeastern state in view of growing instability in neighbouring Bangladesh. 

Addressing a programme organised by the BJP’s legal cell, Saha said the state government was closely monitoring developments across the border and keeping the Centre informed about the situation and its potential fallout for Tripura.

“I am sending reports on the ground reality in the wake of happenings in Bangladesh and its possible impact to Delhi. The same battalion of the Indian Army that had imparted training to Mukti Bahini and participated in the 1971 war is now in the state,” he said.

During the 1971 conflict, Indian Army Mountain Divisions played a decisive role in operations in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Key formations included the 20 Mountain Division under XXXIII Corps, along with elements of the 8th, 6th and 4th Mountain Divisions.

Saha dismissed concerns about the absence of troops along the international border, stressing that modern warfare no longer depends solely on physical deployment. “People are saying there is no Army along the international border. Nowadays, physical presence is not required to fight a battle. One click is enough to destroy the enemies, as demonstrated during ‘Operation Sindoor’,” he said.

The chief minister alleged that Pakistan was behind efforts to destabilise Bangladesh and warned of heightened activity by extremist elements following recent political upheaval there.

“It was expected that fundamentalists would become active after elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee her country. Thousands of fundamentalists, criminals and thieves walked out of Bangladesh jails while police and Army remained silent. The appointment of Muhammad Yunus as Bangladesh's chief advisor was preplanned by forces detrimental to India's rise,” he said.

Saha expressed confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the evolving regional situation. “We are happy that our country is in the safe hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is leading us from the front”, he said. (PTI)