East Bengal (near the Indian outposts of Tongi), April 2.
Bengali Maoists from Bangla Desh have asked their Indian communist sympathizers in West Bengal to send them sophisticated arms at all costs.

I learnt this tonight across the border in East Bengal, where an Awami League emissary, just returned from India, introduced me to one of Shaikh Mujibur Rahman's lieutenants from Dacca.

As we travelled up to the border from Calcutta the Awami League emissary, who introduced himself as Nural Amin, refused to reveal the nature of his mission but it soon became apparent from the conversation that he had come to ask the Indian Government for arms,

The Bengali nationalist's disclosure is significant, because foreign diplomats are already predicting that more than anarchy will overtake the present upheaval when an armed ideological conflict breaks out. While the left-wingers and the right-wing Awami party are united at present in their struggle against the Pakistan Army, they are expected to divide in the near future. If the two factions are armed to the teeth, the revolt in East Bengal might turn into a Vietnam-type situation.

Earlier today Mr. Amin telephoned me at my hotel in Calcutta and asked me whether I wanted to meet a senior Awami official who has just toured the ravaged cities of Bengal. As we drove towards the Geda border post, about 80 miles north-east of Calcutta. I asked Mr. Amin why he had crossed the border into India.

He refused to say, but significantly commented: "We have heard the Toha group (Bengali Maoists led by Mr. Mohammad Toha) are also here for arms."

As night fell, we passed through the towns of Krishnagar and Krishnagunj. About 30 miles to the north-east the car came to a halt at a railway bridge. Mr, Amin said: " I am sorry, but we shall have to walk from here."

It was difficult to establish at night what security arrangements exist on the frontier, but it would appear that the border is wide open to any type of activity. We walked through without difficulty.

A little later an armed guard (I could not determine whether he was a civilian or a member of the East Pakistan Rifles) met us and led us to a group of men.

Mr. Amin introduced one man as a party leader, who must remain unidentified as he will be returning to Dacca. I immediately recognized the Awami leader who was introduced to me two years ago by Dr. Kammal Hossein, one of Shaikh Mujibur Rahman's three chief advisers. He had no knowledge of Dr. Hossein's fate.

"It has been a massacre. I have been through from east to west and there are bodies everywhere", he said.

Known as Ahmed to the underground, the Awami League man went on to claim that the Army had planned the operation so as to wipe out anyone who could lead the resistance movement in future.

Ahmed said that Awami leaders in the towns of Chittagong, Comilla, Dacca, Khulna and Jessore who escaped last week believe that the Army had set its sights on politicians, intellectuals, journalists, students and members of any other section of society which could possibly lead the middle class or peasants in future.

"They plan to liquidate the leadership and they hope to hold. our 75 million people by the rule of terror. After killing our leaders they used tanks, machine-guns and bombs in all the major towns."
Contrary to previous claims of Awami League victories in all the main towns. Ahmed admitted reluctantly that the Army now holds the major and vital centres of all the principal towns. including Dacca, Chittagong, Comilla, Khulna and Jessore. " But we control the suburbs, the outskirts, the country and the people."

One cannot doubt this claim. Here on the border Indian and Bengali officers turn a blind eye as journalists and intelligence officers meet Awami league guides who escort them to Jessore, where bodies of victims of the holocaust are still piled in the streets.

Ahmed quite naturally protested when I suggested that all the local evidence suggested that Shaikh Mujib had been arrested or was dead. But he remained silent when I asked him why the shaikh's voice had not been heard on Free Bengal radio since violence erupted last week.

Ahmed admitted that the East Bengalis could not attempt to hold the outskirts of Comilla, Dacca, Khuina and Chittagong for more than a few weeks without superior weapons acid training.

A whistle summoned the party in the dark. As he walked away with Mr. Amin, the gloomy leader said "But remember we have the countryside."