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Bombing of Aizawl, 1966
· Aizawl, Mizo Hills
The Indian Air Force bombed Aizawl to relieve a besieged garrison, in the only instance of India bombing its own citizens within its own territory.
What happened
Between 4 and 8 March 1966, after MNF forces seized control of Aizawl and besieged the Assam Rifles headquarters there, the Indian government authorized Indian Air Force fighter jets to support besieged Indian forces; the resulting airstrikes killed at least 13 people in Aizawl and additional people elsewhere. The Indian government initially denied that bombing had occurred, before Indian historians later acknowledged it.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Between 4 and 8 March 1966, after MNF forces seized control of Aizawl and besieged the Assam Rifles headquarters there, the Indian government authorized Indian Air Force fighter jets to support besieged Indian forces; the resulting airstrikes on Aizawl and surrounding villages (including Hnahlan) killed at least 13 people in Aizawl and additional people elsewhere, according to the source consulted. The Indian government, including Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, initially denied that bombing had occurred, before Indian historians later acknowledged it; this remains, according to the source cited, the only instance in independent India's history of the air force being used to bomb Indian citizens within Indian territory.
- Bombing of Aizawl (Wikipedia) link, Bombing and acknowledgment sections. Source record