The nation on Monday celebrated the 54th Victory Day amid festivity, paying tribute to the freedom fighters who made supreme sacrifices to free the country from the marauding Pakistani army in the War of Independence in 1971.
The government, political parties, Bangladesh missions in abroad, socio-cultural organisations, educational institutions, professional bodies, and other organisations celebrated the day with various events.
This year, Victory Day was celebrated with a call to build a new Bangladesh with renewed vigour and zeal as the 15-year autocratic regime of the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Hasina as head of the government was finally overthrown by the undaunted student-mass uprising on August 5.
The Victory Day programmes undertaken at the state level included a 31-gun salute and the hoisting of the national flag atop all the offices of the government, semi-government and autonomous bodies, and private offices as well.
Receptions were hosted for the freedom fighters and family members of the martyrs at the city, district, and upazila levels.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus paid homage to the War of Independence martyrs, placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar in the morning.
The President laid the wreath at the altar of the National Memorial with the rise of the sun at 6:34am, followed by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and president of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta.
After the president and the chief adviser left the National Memorial premises, it was opened to people to pay tribute to the 1971 martyrs by placing wreaths.
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Supreme Court judges, diplomats, politicians, artistes, intellectuals, valiant freedom fighters, and professionals also paid their tribute to the martyrs.
Clad in green and red dresses, including sharee and panjabee, hundreds of people across gender and age thronged the national memorial to place wreaths since dawn with the stream of people continued till afternoon.
Wounded freedom fighters, offspring of martyrs鈥� families, political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, also placed wreaths.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and first lady Rebeka Sultana hosted a reception programme at Bangabhaban, marking Victory Day in the afternoon where president of East Timor Jos茅 Ramos-Horta was also present.
Marking the day, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party hoisted the national and party flags at all its offices across the country in the early hours on Monday, paid homage at the National Memorial in Savar and laid wreaths at the grave of party founder and former president Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka.
鈥楤angladesh First鈥�, a BNP affiliate, organised a 鈥榩ublic concert鈥� at Manik Mia Avenue about 2:00pm on the day.
No news of Awami League organising any open programme to celebrate the day appeared. The party鈥檚 leaders and activists posted on social media marking the victory.
A Facebook post from Awami League鈥檚 verified page on Tuesday claimed that its Bhuapur upazila unit in Tangail placed a wreath at the Shaheed Minal in front of the upzaila complex.
Bhuapur police officer-in-charge Rezaul Karim, however, said that no Awami League leaders and activists were seen to pay tribute marking the day.
鈥楢t night Awami League men spread some old pictures on social media,鈥� he said, adding that former upazila vice chairman Monirul Islam, who is absconding now, might posted the photos.
National dailies brought out special supplements on the occasion. State-owned and private television channels and radios are broadcasting month-long special programmes highlighting the significance of the War of Independence.
On the night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces launched an onslaught on the unsuspecting and unarmed Bangalees, committing genocide.
The War of Independence was preceded by 23 years of intense political struggle for democracy and national identity since 1947.
The commander of the 92,000 marauding troops of the Pakistan military, Lieutenant General AAK Niazi, surrendered at the Ramna Race Course, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka on December 16, 1971.