Bangladeshi freedom fighters pay tributes at Vijay Smarak (War memorial) during a function to commemorate 44th anniversary of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. (PTI photo)
Vijay Diwas was observed at Fort William in Kolkata today to mark the 44th anniversary of India's victory over Pakistan during the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
On this day in 1971, the then commanding officer of the Pakistan army, Lieutenant General Ameer Abdullah Khan Niazi, had surrendered his weapon to the Indian army commander, Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora in Dhaka.
Bangladeshi Mukti Jodhas or freedom fighters, Indian war veterans and serving officers of the Armed Forces led by GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, came together at the Vijay Smarak or War Memorial to lay wreaths in memory of martyrs.
"Indian soldiers shed blood for my emancipation. Bangladesh respects and remembers India's martyrs," said Bangladesh ruling party Awami League MP Moinuddin Khan Badal who was at the Vijay Smarak this morning. "We have asked India for a list of about 5000 Indian soldiers who died for us. We will honour them in our country as well," he added.
Bangladesh also observed Victory Day with a gun salute at dawn at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka and the president and prime minister paid tributes to martyrs at the National memorial at Sarvar.