THE FIFTH ARMY – THE UNTOLD STORY FROM CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS

SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE – OPERATION EAGLE – LIBERATION WAR OF BANGLADESH 1971:

Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India had initiated Liberation of Bangladesh during 1971 with military action in Chittagong Hill Tracts. This battle plan is known as Operation Eagle.

In this picture, I have no medal ribbons to display. The medals for participation in the Indo-Pak War of 1971 had arrived later.

General Sujan Singh Uban had narrated his story in his book titled ‘The Phantoms of Chittagong : The Fifth Army in Bangladesh.

General T S Oberoi had exuded a natural sense of affection and warmth for he had truly cared about the men under his Command and this is a quality that men would seek in the Chief of Army Staff and he was denied that opportunity. Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made a political choice and had appointed General K S Sundarji as the Chief of Army Staff. General T S Oberoi, the senior Army Commander, had to unfortunately retire from Service in 1985 and was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and served in that capacity until 1989.

I am pleased to claim that I had established an entirely new record in providing medical support to the battle wounded in an operational area of Chittagong Hill Tracts during Operation Eagle 1971, Liberation War of Bangladesh. To provide medical support to the battle casualties, I had reached the casualties at the enemy post that we had just captured. I was the only Army Medical Corps person on the ground. We had no stretchers, blankets, and resuscitation fluids. The casualties could not be airlifted as per the prior Medical Evacuation Plan. The men felt outraged. I had comforted them with my assurance that I would accompany them to the nearest helipad that was located over forty miles away at the  Border Security Force outpost of Bonapansuria near the border in the Indian Mizo Hills. The men prepared improvised stretchers. We had no Infantry Officer to accompany us. A party of about 65 men, a Bangla Refugee as a guide, carried all the battle casualties in stretchers and had camped overnight in the forest and had reached the helipad at Bonapansuria the next day morning. I had acted as the Medical Officer, the Nursing Assistant, and an Ambulance Assistant for the battle wounded during this foot journey through the difficult hilly and forest terrain. They had reached the Field Hospital in Lungleh in very good spirits and in a stable condition in spite of being critically wounded.

The sense of resolve, determination, and confidence with which I had accompanied my patients and had performed a foot journey walking over forty miles through the forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts during Operation Eagle 1971 had given the sense of comfort and reassurance the men needed to boost up their morale. In the medical evacuation of battle casualties from the battle field, Army Medical Corps typically uses several Nursing Assistants and Ambulance Assistants who perform a variety of tasks. I had the unique privilege to perform their duties for I have a true sense of appreciation for the valuable services they render in providing patient care and comfort. I had actually self-learned the tasks they perform and knew it would be of a great value and an asset for my success as a Medical officer of Indian Army.

Dr. R. R. Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Personal Number. MS-8466 Rank. Captain  AMC/SSC

Medical Officer South Column Operation Eagle 1971

Headquarters Establishment No. 22  C/O  56  APO