Battle of Gazipur

Battle of Gazipur
Part of the Bangladesh liberation war and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Date 4–5 December 1971 Location Gazipur Tea Estate Result Victory of Mitro Bahini
Belligerents
Bangladesh  India(Formally Joined the war on 3 December 1971)	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Major Ziaur Rahman Shyam Kelkar  †	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
11 killed 61 wounded	30 killed 40 wounded

The Battle of Gazipur was a military engagement on 4 and 5 December 1971, during the Bangladesh liberation war. It took place at the Gazipur Tea Estate near Kalaura, in Sylhet District of what was then East Pakistan. The advancing Mitro Bahini (comprising Mukti Bahini and Indian Army) attacked the 22 Baluch Regiment of the Pakistan Army. This battle was a prelude to the Battle of Sylhet.

By 27 November 1971 evening 4/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) had fortified themselves at Kadamtal, a place closer to the border opposite the Kalaura/Maulvi Bazar Sector of the Sylhet Division of East Pakistan. Small-scale attacks were to be employed to capture territory. The 59th Mountain Brigade was to operate, as part of the 8th Mountain Division plan, in tandem, possibly for thrust to Sylhet. The area had rolling hills with tea gardens dotting the area along the border. Further west, inside East Pakistan, low hills obscured any observations beyond them, had provided an excellent defensive and observation point into the Indian side of the border. The hills tapered just East of Kalaura and the plains of the Sylhet division started from here. Kalaura was a communications centre and rail head ten kilometres in depth, was connected to Maulvi Bazar; along the axis Dharmanagar – Gazipur – Maulvi Bazar – Sylhet.

The task given to the 8 Mountain Division was at this stage was:

Pakistan's 313rd Infantry Brigade, part of Pakistan's 14th Infantry Division, was located at Maulvi Bazar. Its 202 Infantry Brigade had moved to Sylhet, while its third brigade was covering Bhairab Bazar and the Ashuganj area further south. The 22 Baluch was defending the area ear Sagarnal, Gazipur, Kalaura, and Juri with additional company each of Scouts and EPCAF. One of this battalion's companies was deployed along the Dharmanagar-Juri axis with couple of border posts. Border Out Post of a platoon plus strength of regular troops and EPCAF at Sagarnal, a company at Gazipur with about a platoon each of Scouts and EPCAF, battalion headquarters at Kalaura and remainder troops at Maulvi Bazar. Thing not known at that time was that 22 Baluch had additional Reconnaissance and Support elements which had tremendously augmented firepower of their defences.

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