The operations known as Operation Jackpot completely crippled the Pakistani forces' naval power and supply lines, accelerating the pace of the war and making victory inevitable. These naval commandos were primarily young swimmers from riverine Bengal, whose courage and sacrifice left the Pakistani forces helpless.
Their training camp was established on the historic Plassey battlefield in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India, along the banks of the Bhagirathi River. Codenamed 'C2P', this site is historically famous—on June 23, 1757, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, fell to the British here. Once surrounded by Queen Bhabani's mango groves, rows of tents were secretly set up by the river for training thousands of youths.
The camp was established in late May (sources vary from May 21-26). With assistance from the Indian Navy, the camp commander was Lt. Commander G.M. Martis (or M.N. Samanth), with instructors including Lt. A.K. Das and Lt. Kapil. Initially, 300-480 youths were selected from various Mukti Bahini camps, but many withdrew due to the rigorous training. Ultimately, around 160-500 completed training in batches.
On June 11, 1971, Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad of the Mujibnagar Government visited the camp, accompanied by Mukti Bahini Commander-in-Chief Col. M.A.G. Osmani. Addressing the commandos, Tajuddin said: "The success of naval commando operations will determine the timeline of the independence war. Naval commando means suicide squad. It means 100% death. Keep this in mind while taking this tough training. Those not interested may leave." Many withdrew after this, but the rest stood firm.
The most inspiring part was the joining of eight Bengali submariners who escaped from France. In 1969-70, 13 Bengalis were training in Toulon, France, for Pakistan's Daphne-class submarine PNS Mangro. Hearing of the war, led by Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, nine planned escape. They locked compartments and fled via Madrid to India with embassy help. Eight joined the camp as instructors.
Training was extremely tough and dangerous—18 hours daily from dawn to night: light exercise, running, limpet mine handling, miles of swimming in darkness, silent river entry/exit, hand-to-hand combat, judo, fins usage. In monsoon, swimming amid currents, venomous snakes, corpses. Many nearly drowned; rescue teams saved them. A bond was signed—no liability for death.
Most commandos were Dhaka University students (Iqbal Hall, Jagannath Hall), youths from Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet—accustomed to river currents. Some Hindus circumcised for survival if captured.
On August 15, 1971, Operation Jackpot began—simultaneous attacks on Chittagong, Mongla, Chandpur, Narayanganj ports. Dozens of ships sunk with limpet mines. Over subsequent months, over 100,000 tons of shipping destroyed or damaged, severing Pakistani supplies and highlighting Bangladesh's struggle globally.
Through the daring of these naval warriors, Pakistan was defeated at sea. Their hands birthed independent Bangladesh. We salute them today—for staking their lives to bring freedom.
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