Kurnool: On December 10, 1971, Subedar M. Devaraj faced one of the worst moments of his army career. His unit was ambushed from behind by enemy troops who opened fire and flung bombs. Hundreds of soldiers died in that sudden attack. Devaraj remembers it clearly: “They shot at us from the rear and hurled bombs; the casualties were heavy,” he told the Deccan Chronicle.In the chaos, he saw friends—including one named Alexander—killed before he could reach them. He survived only because he made a split-second choice to charge forward, while three of his closest teammates died on the spot.Devaraj recalled his birth a year after India gained Independence. At 19 years, after finishing his SSLC exams, he joined the army, instead of taking jobs in the police or postal services. He served as a sepoy in the 7 Field Regiment and trained in Nashik under “Operation Cactus Lily,” the plan for the 1971 war in the east.While the war officially began on December 3, 1971, Devaraj points out that India started preparing and moving troops as early as August 1970. These preparations came in the wake of 1962 and 1965 wards. The army wanted to make sure its readiness for any eventuality.Devaraj’s 12-man team carried Sten guns, revolvers, and SLR rifles. They learned guerrilla tactics, how to handle bombs, and close-quarters combat. Artillery crews and bomb squads supported the infantry as they advanced across the old East Pakistan border. Under General Officer Commanding in Chief of Eastern Command Jagjit Singh Aurora, the army fought against General A.A.K. Niazi’s forces, with Indian soldiers pushing through the tough terrain and harsh weather. The fighting went on until a ceasefire on December 16. India’s victory that day helped create the new country – Bangladesh. Subedar Devaraj recalled that they had no sophisticated weapons at that time—only basic guns and limited ammunition to face the enemy. Yet they won the war and liberated a country.
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