Victory Day celebrated

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People from all walks of life gather at the National Martyrs Memorial at Savar in Dhaka to pay homage to war heroes on Victory Day on Friday. Indrajit Ghosh

Staff Correspondent

The nation celebrated Victory Day with tens of thousands of people visiting and placing flowers at the National Martyrs Memorial at Savar and other war monuments across the country paying homage to the war heroes on Friday, with a call for an expeditious trial of war crimes.

The nation this day in 1971 earned its freedom through the nine-month war from the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators.

The people demanded the rule of law, institutionalisation of democracy and completion of war crimes trial.

The days programmes also included the hoisting of the national flag, parades, reception to freedom fighters, discussions, concerts, rallies, street plays, book fairs, art camps and cultural programmes at different venues in the capital and on its outskirts in the chilly weather.

The days celebrations began with a 31-gun salute at dawn in the National Parade Square at Tejgaon.

The prime minister, Shiekh Hasina, paid her tribute to the war heroes by placing a floral wreath at the National Martyrs Memorial about 6.30am. A contingent drawn from the three services presented a state salute in honour of the martyrs.

Her cabinet colleagues, chiefs of the three service along with diplomats and other ranking government officials also attended. Hasina placed another floral wreath as president of the ruling Awami League.

She also took the salute of the national day ceremonial parade in the National Parade Square on behalf of the president, Zillur Rahman. Ministries, the Armed Forces, paramilitary forces, Fire Service and Civil Defence and freedom-fighters also joined the parade.

The leader of the opposition in the parliament, Khaleda Zia, also the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, placed a floral wreath at the memorial about 7.30am and paid her tributes to the martyrs with party supporters.

The acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and senior leaders Moudud Ahmed, M K Anwar and others accompanied the BNP chief.

People came in as the memorial was opened to the people to pay their homage to the valiant sons of the soil who laid down their lives to liberate Bangladesh from the Pakistani rule.

The altar of the memorial was bedecked with flowers as the people in processions filed past it, carrying banners reading slogans We want trial of all those involved in war crimes and human rights violations, and Bring war criminals to justice.

Many political parties, socio-cultural groups, rights activists, universities, colleges and schools and people of all strata joined the celebrations.

The Jatiya Party, 11 Party Alliance, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Gana Forum, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Liberal Democratic Party, Bikapladahara, Ganatantri Party, Ganasanghati Andolan, Democratic Revolutionary Party, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Ganatantrik Biplabi Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik League, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad, Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Jagannath University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and Gana Biswabidyalaya, Bangladesh Medical Association, Mahila Parishad, Karmajibi Nari and others also placed flowers at the memorial.

The National Press Club, Dhaka Reporters Unity, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote, Bangladesh Chhatra League, Chhatra Oikya Forum, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangla Academy,

Dhaka Union of Journalists, Sramajibi Mukti Andolan, Samajtantrik Mahila Forum, Dhaka University Teachers Association, Jatiya Hindu Maitree Parishad, Bangladesh Nari Mukti Andolan, Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity Council and many other organisations placed wreaths at the memorial.

Jahangirnagar Theatre organised several street plays on the premises of memorial.

The bands of the army, navy and air force played patriotic tunes in Crescent Lake, at Farm Gate and in the Mirpur Stadium in the evening.

Dhaka city units of both the Awami League and the BNP brought out Victory Day processions in the city.

Dhaka University teachers and students celebrated the day with various programmes on the campus. The Sector Commanders Forum celebrated the moment of the signing of the instrument of surrender by General Niazi at Shikha Chirantan at 3:40pm.

The Dhaka north and south city corporations accorded a reception to war heroes in Osmani Udyan.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh held a discussion and cultural programme in front of the partys office. The Sammilita Sangskritik Jote brought out a procession from the Central Shaheed Minar. The Liberation War Museum held a daylong cultural programme for children on its premises. The Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts began a three-day art camp, Bijay Dibas Chitramela, at the Bengal Centre.

In one of the worst acts of genocide in human history, the Pakistan army and their local collaborators launched a barbarous crackdown, killing the innocent and the unarmed in the erstwhile East Pakistan at midnight on 25 March, 1971.

The Jamaat-e-Islami and some Islamist political parties of the time actively collaborated with the Pakistani forces, raising paramilitary forces such as Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams which took part in the genocide.

This day in 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces, General Amir Aabdullah Khan Niazi, along with 93,000 troops, surrendered to the allied forces, led by General Jagjit Singh Aurora, of India in the Ramna Race Course, now Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka after their defeat in the war.