SHILLONG: The 53rd Raising Day of 101 Area was celebrated with traditional military élan and fervour on Friday.
Headquarters 101 Area was raised in 1963; initially named as Headquarters 101 Communication Zone, for provision of logistic support to the field formations which had moved to the North East in the wake of the Chinese aggression in 1962.
In 1966, when Mizoram was gripped with insurgency, the Formation was tasked to conduct counter insurgency operations in Mizoram. The Formation did a commendable job of winning the hearts and minds of the local populace and continued to perform this task till 1969, when a new Army Division took over this responsibility.
During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the Formation took active part in combat operations in Sylhet and Mymensing districts of the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and was the first to reach Dacca (Dhaka), thereby earning the accolade “First in Dacca”.
