Two T-55 Russian-made battle tanks used by the Indian Army in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War were shifted to the NC College at Jajpur on Thursday. “We will soon build two concrete pedestals in the college campus to display the tanks, which will become a major attraction point in the college,” said college Principal Fakir Mohan Mallick. The T-55 tanks had destroyed 58 Pakistani tanks in the war. Between 1960 and 1980, these tanks had caused a great deal of panic in the Pakistani Army on the border. The tanks have served the country for 40 years in the Indian Army.
The tanks, which weigh 36 tonnes each, are equipped with a 100mm-calibre gun and two 7.62-calibre machineguns and one 2.7mm anti-aircraft gun. They are also enabled with night vision and protection from nuclear, biological and chemical explosions.
The tanks were used in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 Bangladesh war. They were inducted into the Indian Army in 1968 and were in service until 2011.