The Hindu : Pistol mystery solved

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 01, 2003

National

National

Pistol mystery solved

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JUNE 30. The mystery behind the ownership of the pistol missing from the National Museum on Janpath here has finally been solved. Stolen last Saturday, the pistol actually belonged to Major-General Mohammad Sharif, who handed it over to Rear Admiral S.M.M. Krishnan at the time of the 1971 surrender and not Lieutenant-General A.K.A Niazi, as assumed earlier.

This was an all-important fact that was not taken into account while labelling this pistol. The confusion has now been cleared by the previous designers of the Heritage Maritime Gallery at the National Museum.

``When the Heritage Maritime Gallery was set up in 1991, the label clearly specified that the pistol belonged to Major-General Sharif. He was then the Flag Officer of East Pakistan. This was the information we got from the books the Navy gave us. There was also a picture of the handing over ceremony and a five-member committee had also verified the facts. But the gallery was recently renovated by the Navy and the labelling was changed,'' said designer Shailendra Kumar Singh here today.

The current label leaves out this crucial detail and merely states, "Surrendered Pistol — Lieutenant-General Niazi surrenders all armed forces in East Pakistan to Lieutenant-General J.S. Aurora, 18 December, 1971''.

With vital details missing, the present description left the ownership of the pistol unclear. Placed next to the document of surrender, this inaccurate labelling was enough to mislead a layman, an expert at the Museum claimed.

``Correct labelling for an exhibited object is very important. Any labelling which leaves room for doubt can be a source of major confusion,'' said the National Museum Director-General, R.D Chaudhuri.

While the Army has clarified that Gen. Niazi's pistol is safe with the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun, the Navy is yet to ascertain the ownership of the pistol in their possession.

Meanwhile, the National Museum authorities have decided to tighten security. "We pay about Rs. 15 lakhs to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) every month to protect the building. With 94 guards around, such a major lapse of security should have never happened,'' said a staff member.

The surrender

Our Madurai Special Correspondent reports:

The Fleet Medical Officer and Surgeon to the Eastern Fleet, Surg.Capt. G.P. Christian (Retd.), today said that it was the late Admiral N. Krishnan, the then Flag Officer Commanding, who disarmed Lt.-Gen. A.K.A. Niazi after the historical surrender of the Pakistani forces in the 1971 Bangladesh war.

He told The Hindu here this evening that the surrender was in Dhaka to both Gen. J.S. Aurora and the late Admiral Krishnan.

Dr. Christian, who was posted on board `INS Vikrant' during the Bangladesh operations as Fleet Medical Officer, said one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Pakistan army was the effective blockade of the Bangladesh sea coast by the naval war ships and the naval aircrafts on board Vikrant.

Admiral Krishnan flew to I.N.S. Vikarant after the surrender ceremony and spoke to officers and men on board, congratulating them for their excellent devotion.

During the speech, he showed us the pistol/revolver of Gen. Niazi, whom he disarmed during the ceremony, he recalled.

According to Dr. Christian, "it is this pistol/revolver that General Aurora might have wanted to keep in the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun and the Government could have decided to keep it at the Maritime Gallery in the National Museum at Delhi because of the important role played by the Navy."

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