Vijayanta Tank, a war trophy, has been placed adjacent to Rhino Heritage Museum at Rilbong crossing here on Friday to commemorate the victory of the Indian army in the War of Liberation, 1971, that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

The intension behind the display is to instil a sense of pride among the people of Meghalaya. Vijayanta, meaning victorious, was the first indigenously produced tank based on the Vickers Mark-1 (British tank). Its power pack and transmission were revolutionary in design and had a very accurate and reliable 105mm main gun.

In Indian Armoured Corps circles, it was considered as the 'first among equals'. Introduced into service in 1966, it was phased out in 2004. The tank proved its mettle during the 1971 war in both the western and eastern theatres of operation.

The war trophy has moved over a distance of 3600km from New Delhi to Shillong under the aegis of Headquarters 101 Area and is now standing majestically on the crossroads of Shillong as a tribute to the valour and spirit of the army.

Text by Andrew W. Lyngdoh and Telegraph picture