East Bengal regiment formally revolts

East Bengal regiment formally revolted against Pakistan on March 29. The 2nd East Bengal Battalion gathered together in Mymensingh and pledged their support for a free Bangladesh. The rally was convened by Maj KM Saifullah.
In the evening, Pakistan army made arrangements to transfer Bangabandhu from Dhaka to Karachi. Bangabandhu was flown in a helicopter from the cantonment to the Tejgaon Airport and from there he was flown to Karachi in a special military aircraft.
Pakistan army assembled outside the Chittagong cantonment near the Medical College and surrounding areas and launched their first attack in the evening in which they lost to the Mukti Bahini.
At night, about 100 Bangladeshi EPR men were separated from the President House by the Pakistan Military and barbarically murdered near the Ramna Kalibaari.
The people of East Pakistan, armed with sticks, spears and homemade rifles mounted a resistance movement against a military force from West Pakistan that is armed with planes, bombs, tanks and heavy artillery. Although it was certain that thousands of Bengalis will be killed, their dedication to the self-rule movement and to their leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was deep.
NYT said 5,000 to 7,000 people were killed in Dhaka. The Sydney Morning Herald said 10,000 to 100,000 were killed. While there was already confusion over the death-toll, in Dhaka, rain exposed two mass graves -- one at Zahurul Huq Hall and the other at Rokeya Hall.
A US State Department secret memo notes the future Indian response to the situation:
a. Tolerate privately provided cross-border assistance to the East Bengalis. This assistance could range from propaganda support to weapons and explosives.
b. Permit East Bengal dissidents to use India as a refuge and to conduct cross�border activities from within India.
c. Covertly provide supplies, including weapons, and perhaps some training, to East Bengal dissidents.
US President Nixon talked with CIA top boss Kissinger over telephone on East Pakistan situation.
Archer Blood sends another telegram: American priests in old Dacca reports that army acted with no provocations on part of Bengalis except barricade erection. Army is exclusively responsible for all fires. Technique was to set houses afire and then gun down people as they left their homes. Stated army looking for Awami Leaguers, but more indiscriminate rather than selective in approach. Most of the army destructions took places on 25th and 26th night and lesser on March 27th and March 28th.
We have received reliable reports of troops engaged in looting homes. Military reportedly is standing by while non-Bengalis looting Bengali dwellings.
Police were simply executed in Mohammadpur and elsewhere as Army considered them as potential threat. 800 police killed in surprise attacks. The East Pakistan Rifles camp in Peelkhana had 1,000 EPR present. 700 Killed, 200 overpowered and 100 escaped.
House to house searches underway with ex Bengali servicemen being special target and shot at site whenever found. "No police was seen anywhere in Dhaka".
Ambassador Keating, the then US ambassador to India, expressed his dismay and concern at the repression unleashed by the Martial Law administrators with the use of American military equipment. He called for the US to "promptly, publicly, and prominently deplore" the brutality.