‘Friend of Bangladesh’ Julian Francis recalls India's support in Liberation War

India sheltered around 10 million Bangladeshi refugees and supported the liberation movement, he says

British aid worker Julian Francis, who coordinated relief efforts for thousands of Bangladeshi refugees during the 1971 Liberation War, has described India's support as vital to Bangladesh's struggle for independence from Pakistan.

Speaking to ANI, Francis said the Indian government and its people extended extraordinary assistance during the war, while many Indian armed forces personnel also lost their lives.

Francis, then a 26-year-old Oxfam coordinator, oversaw relief operations for more than 600,000 Bangladeshi refugees in over 50 camps along the India-Bangladesh border.

He said the humanitarian situation was marked by widespread suffering, deaths and disease, but also resilience among the refugees.

Recalling one incident in Jalpaiguri in India's West Bengal, he said an attempt to separate Hindu and Muslim refugees was rejected by a Muslim man, who insisted the two communities had lived together for generations and would return home together.

He also described efforts to improve refugees' mental wellbeing, saying Oxfam supplied around 100 sets of harmoniums and tablas after a doctor suggested music could help ease depression.

Refugees performed songs by Rabindranath Tagore and other composers, reports ANI.

Francis said relief operations were carried out amid severe shortages and a deadly cholera outbreak, while India sheltered around 10 million Bangladeshi refugees and provided logistical support to the liberation movement.

In recognition of his contribution, Bangladesh awarded Francis the Friends of Liberation War Honour in 2012 and granted him Bangladeshi citizenship in 2018.