"By mid-March 1971, East Pakistan was falling into anarchy; civil government had completely broken down. The streets were ruled by Awami League thugs who looted shops and murdered West Pakistanis and foreigners with impunity. Government troops, loathed by East Pakistanis, were besieged in their bases throughout the country. Thousands of civilians were killed, and the governor of East Pakistan eventually resigned. The new governor, General Tikka Khan, unleashed a huge counteroffensive on the night of March 25-26 to quell the growing disturbances.
The result was a bloody mess. Elements of the Pakistani 14th Infantry Division clashed with Awami League forces in the streets of Dacca, meeting particularly strong resistance at the university, where they were forced to bring in tanks and artillery to secure the grounds. Seeing their countrymen being slaughtered, Bengali units of the Pakistani Army mutinied. These rebellious units included the East Pakistani Rifles in Chittagong, the 1st East Bengal Battalion in Jessore, the 2nd East Bengal Battalion at Joydebpur, the 3rd East Bengal Battalion at Rangpur, the 4th East Bengal Battalion at Comila, and the 2nd and 10th East Bengal Battalions at Dacca. The heavily outnumbered Bengali units fell back across the Indian border. In one particularly bloody battle, the 8th East Pakistani Rifles fought government forces in Chittagong for four days before pulling back to the border."