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Indian Troops advance closer to Dacca - Paras Link up on Ground A Day of major gains for India as Khustia falls.
Khustia Album - Photographs from the Frontline.
The Disabled Chafee Tank left in the center of one of the spans of Hardinge Bridge.	Lt Gen T N Raina (2nd from left ) GOC II Corps, and Maj Gen M S Barar GOC 4 Mtn Div visit the Hardinge Bridge at Khustia.	The Hardinge Bridge near Khustia which was blown up by retreating Pakistani troops. India has taken this bridge today

DEC 12 : WESTERN SECTOR:- It was a day of Major gains for Indian Army troops in the western sector. Troops of 62 Mountain Brigade under Brig Zail Singh and 42 Mtn Brigade under Brig Michigan had taken the town of Kushtia where fierce battles took place on the 9th.

The town of Khustia is important as the Hardinge bridge lies across the river Madhumati adjoining the city and Khustia offers the passage to the bridge.

The enemy troops stationed in the town retreated across the bridge. They blew up one of the spans and also left a disabled Chafee Tank on one of the spans in a crude effort to block the pathway in the bridge. The taking of this town has now cleared the Jhenida Sector completely of all enemy troops.

This means that now II Corps can focus completely in the Jessore sector by taking Khulna and resuming its drive to Dacca.

It also means that troops of the Red Eagle Divison can now be diverted to the Jessore Sector to assist troops of the 9 Inf Division already there.

XXXIII Corps Sector

Meanwhile in the North western sector, XXXIII Corps had occupied the town of Gobindganj had been taken after troops of 5/11 Gorkha Rifles supported by PT-76 Tanks outflanked the defensive positions of the enemy there. The enemy withdrew as soon as they found out that the road behind them had been cut. Huge amounts of Heavy equipment had been captured.

Paras link up with Maratha troops.

Meanwhile in the northern sector in 101CZ, where a Paradrop of a battallions worth of troops took place, further battles happened at the Poongli bridge. The enemy troops tried to assault the our Para forces holding the bridge frontally and were beat back.

It is now clear that the 2 Para Battallion under Lt Col K S Pannu was the only unit dropped in yesterday's paradrop.

By Evening news has been given that the advancing Indian ground troops had linked up with the Paratroops. The 1 Maratha LI fought its way on the Tangail road and reached the Poongli bridge by 1730 hours yesterday.