Much heat was generated after the iconic painting of the 1971 surrender of Pakistan army was removed from the Army Chief’s office. The issue as they say is “done and dusted” but prudence demands this be reflected upon more deliberately.

The painting shows Pakistan’s Lt Gen A.A.K. Niazi signing the Instrument of Surrender in 1971, sitting alongside Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, Eastern Army Commander of the Indian Army. It was painted by the celebrated artist Lt Col Arul Raj, whose scores of paintings adorn the walls of multiple Indian Army institutions, and who has also painted portraits of every Indian Army Chief. Ironically, the pen Niazi used to sign the surrender and his surrendered sidearm, displayed in the National Museum in New Delhi, are missing.
This painting signifies ultimate humiliation of the Pakistani military in the 13-day war. India undertook this operation calling the bluffs of China, the US and the UK; a US aircraft in threatening posture in Bay of Bengal and a British flotilla beating hasty retreat in Arabian Sea when Soviet submarines surfaced in their path. It resulted in 93,000 Pakistani POWs – the largest after World War II. The Detention Centre, Jabalpur included Lt Gen Niazi, five Major Generals, one Rear Admiral, one Air Commodore and 12 Brigadiers of Pakistan army.

The US ignored Pakistan military genocide (assisted by Razakars. Al Badr, Al Shams and Jamat-e-Islami) from March 25, 1971, to December 16, 1971; especially targeting Bengali Hindus through ethnic cleansing, mass murders and genocidal rapes; 300,00-3,000,000 killed, 200,000-400,000 raped. 30,000.000 displaced and millions of refugees streaming into India. India suffered 1,400 killed and 4,000 wounded. The painting serves to remind the world that India and the Indian Armed Forces are a force to be reckoned with.
Absence of the above painting in the Chief’s office was observed on December 14, 2024, when photos emerged in media of another painting (as below) in its place with the three Service Chiefs in front, and another photo of the Army Chief with the visiting Nepalese Army Chief.

This new painting, titled ‘Karm Kshetra’ or ‘Field of Deeds’, depicts Pangong Tso, few aspects of military capabilities, Garuda flying and Arjuna’s chariot driven by Krishna (giving the mythological touch) and Chanakya, the 375 BC, chief advisor and prime minister of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya and his son Bindusara. Replacing the painting of the magnificent victory over East Pakistan, the Pangong Tso painting should be viewed in following backdrop:
- India is left with one solitary post north bank of Pangong Tso and cannot patrol eastward as was the case earlier.
- South of Pangong Tso, China forced India to vacate Kailash Range in its own territory.
- China allowed Indian troops to patrol their own areas after four years plus.
- China jeers India with video clips of Galwan Clash but India has no visuals in respond.
- Krishna gospel to Arjuna promotes government’s ‘Hindutva’ call but is not being followed beyond electioneering.
- Had we followed Chanakya’s teachings, we would not be in the mess we are today, especially in relation to our immediate neighbours and China.
- Continued PLA deployment of 120,000 combat-ready troops along the entire LAC implies Indian troops cannot patrol up to traditional areas.
- China constructed a dual-use village in Arunachal Pradesh post 2020 and BJP MP Tapir Gao told Parliament PLA has intruded 60-km inside Arunachal Pradesh.
- The defence minister lying to Parliament that “not even one inch of territory lost” was exposed when discussing patrolling – one PLA intrusions in Depsang alone was confirmed 20-km deep. Even the prime minister had said, “Koi Na Aya, Koin Na Ghusa” (No One Came, No One Entered – Indian Territory).
Is the Pangong Tso painting aimed at whitewashing inability of the political authority to stand up to China? Can readers compare the nation’s spine in the two paintings: the gallantry and victory against stiff resistance in East Pakistan vis-à-vis pusillanimous political stance in Ladakh?
Media reports of December 20, 2024 say IAF confirms the helicopter crash in which CDS General Bipin Rawat died (on December 8, 2021 was due to “human error”. Is this three-year delayed confirmation government’s move to appease Beijing- cancelling earlier reports Chinese electronic interference caused the crash? There is speculation the script for another Bollywood movie “Pangong Tso Express” could be getting finalised, showing how a petrified China came running to normalize relations with India after the bloody nose the PLA received in Ladakh.
The serving fraternity can’t speak out but their anguish was vented through veterans in the social and print media – pathetic, denigrating and sidelining the valour of Indian Military and India’s greatest victory in 1,000 years; last epic victory being in 303 BC when Chandragupta Maurya defeated Alexander’s General Seleucus I Nicator. Shouldn’t the Service Chiefs be loyal to their troops?
The President of the Indian Ex-Service League (IESL), of which the defence minister is patron-in-chief, has questioned the CDS and the Army Chief why religion is being dragged into the forces. No response would be forthcoming. Witness the memorial in Arun Vihar (NOIDA) built by veterans and civilians with help of the NOIDA Authority (photo below) to bring public awareness and here we have the iconic painting removed from the Army Chief’s office.

On December 16, 2024, news came that the iconic Dhaka Surrender painting was installed in the Manekshaw Centre, in what the media called a “befitting place”; where it looks inconspicuous on a bare wall in a large hall, tucked away between a large cabinet and a wall mounted lamp, like any other painting, with no special significance. Isn’t the Army Chief’s office “more befitting” for the larger-than-life painting as the centre piece serving as the backdrop for prominent visiting dignitaries to see and marvel at what India achieved? The Manekshaw Centre could also have this iconic painting perhaps 4-5 times large given its dimensions.

The unanswered questions are: was this act by the Army Chief of his own volition, was this because of it a political missive or a combination of both? The Army Chief recently trashed the news that tribals in Manipur were dropping bombs/grenades from drones at the India Today enclave – the story having been invented by Manipur’s Chief Minister, who is the Centre’s blue-eyed boy. This would have riled the political hierarchy. So, did the Army Chief decide to make amends by appeasing to the ruling politicians? Could he be suffering from some complex; like one of his predecessor Army Chiefs who removed the depiction of the Battle of Rezang La in the Battle Honours Mess where a Chinese General was invited; embarrassed for the deeds of valour of his own army – a crying shame.
The Army Chief is seeing carrots some in the military hierarchy are enjoying by appeasing politicians. Take for example a former Naval Chief sitting pretty as India’s High Commissioner in New Zealand. All he had to do was promote Chhatrapati Shivaji having the largest navy when the ruling party was looking for Maratha votes (see photo below) and introduced kurta pyjama in messes in the name of Indianization. This was not all. He installed a 35-feet statue of Chatrapati Shivaji on non-defence land using MES and service funds, which Prime Minister Modi inaugurated in December 2023. But the statue toppled on August 26, 2024 and the prime minister apologized to the nation.

Factually, Shivaji had a navy that was shore-based, The Cholas navy was stronger with which they captured part of Sri Lanka and regions in Southeast Asia. So now that that the ruling party wants to enlarge its vote-bank in South India, the present CDS has ordered a study of the Chola Empire. The first CDS, instead of laying a wreath on Navy Day attended a function at a religious school, not to mention flagging off (in military uniform) launch pf MG Motors in Delhi, among other such actions Then we have a former Air Force Chief nickname “Rafale Ram”.
The Army Chief may have been given a missive/hint to remove the Dhaka Surrender painting from his office. Interestingly, newspapers of December 20 quote the RSS chief saying minorities are safe in India. He ignores the state-sponsored ethnic cleansing in Manipur but the same newspaper states a Syria-like diktat to tribal Christians in Chhattisgarh - not to celebrate Christmas and possible eviction.
Government’s piecemeal renaming game and issues like Gyanwapi Mosque and Mazar-e-Sharif are amusing. With Mughals ruling India for 331 years (1526-1857) every Mighal monument would have a temple underneath, so why not take out a list and make an action plan. Photographic evidence, plus steps leading going down to a locked gate are clear evidence of a Shiva Temple below Taj Mahal. So, start with demolition of Taj Mahal rather than squabbling like traders. When Modi had said in early 2014 (before he became PM) that his traders are as good as army soldiers, someone cited this the reason why Somnath Temple in Gujarat was looted 17 times.
Finally, an erudite-veteran scholar close to the establishment, says, “The knowledge of the prime minister and the union home minister about armed forces, its ethos and values is zero. Worst part is the military leadership sucking up to Modi. Removing the iconic surrender painting from the Chief’s office is a recent example of the top brass.” He earlier wrote, like other institutions, the armed forces have been suckered; the head has been so infected that the fence starts eating the crop.