Iconic image of 1971 surrender swapped out for Mahabharata-inspired painting; Priyanka Gandhi says...

A painting in the Indian Army Chief's lounge in Delhi depicting the historic surrender of the Pakistani Army during the 1971 Bangladesh War has been replaced with a Mahabharata-inspired painting. 

The Mahabharata-inspired painting in question is titled Karam Kshetra (Field of Deeds) and depicts the Pangong Lake alongside the India-China border along with the Army's modern military assets.

Paying a nod to the Hindu epic, the painting also depicts figures like Chanakya and Lord Krishna guiding Arjuna's chariot. For decades, the lounge featured the painting which captured the iconic moment when Pakistani General AAK Niazi signed the surrender document in the presence of General Jagjit Singh Aurora. 

As the news spread like wildfire, Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the BJP-led Central government. Vadra accused the Centre of trying to rewrite history and downplaying the achievements of the erstwhile Congress government.

“The picture showing Pakistan Army surrendering to India has been removed from the Army Headquarters. That picture should be put back,” she said in Parliament on Monday.

She also raised concerns about violence against minorities, especially Hindus in Bangladesh. She requested the Centre to discuss the issue with the Bangladeshi dispensation and support those aggrieved. 

Not just Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, many military veterans also condemned the move, calling it an "insult" to those who fought in the 1971 war. 

"The decision disregards the sacrifices made by the soldiers during one of India's greatest military victories," a retired officer told India Today. 

"The photo/painting symbolising India's first major military victory in 1,000 years, and the first as a united nation in 1971, has been removed by a hierarchy which believes that mythology, religion and distant fragmented feudal past will inspire future victories," former Northern Army Commander Lt-Gen HS Panag (Retd.) was quoted as saying by The Times of India. 

Amid the raging row over replacing the iconic painting, the Indian Army said that the painting depicting the surrender of the Pakistani forces during the 1971 war hasn't been removed but has been relocated to the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment. 

The Army also mentioned in its statement that relocating the painting was a deliberate move to showcase it to a wider audience, including dignitaries from across the country and abroad.

The Manekshaw Centre is a state-of-the-art convention centre in Delhi Cantonment named in honor of Late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the Army General behind the fall of Dhaka in 1971 and the first Field Marshal of the Indian Army.