Bangladesh celebrated its 53rd Independence Day and National Day with festivity across Bangladesh on Sunday, with different programmes paying tribute to the martyrs of the War on Independence.
The day was a national holiday.
Different political, socio-cultural and professional organisations as well as educational institutions held different programmes to mark the day.
The programmes included placing wreaths at the memorials and Shaheed Minars, discussions and cultural programmes across Bangladesh.
In Dhaka, people from all walks of life started pouring at the National Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of the capital in the morning to pay homage to the liberation war heroes by placing floral wreath at the memorial.
Children in colourful attire waving the hand-sized national flags and bands over their heads gathered at the memorial.
The traffic was kept halted from nearly a kilometre before the venue, but people took the walk in a happy manner.
People placed floral wreaths in a gesture of their respect for the martyrs of the Liberation War.
Young people were taking pictures on the lush well-curated lawns of the National Memorial while the children were running and playing around.
On the entrance to the memorial, vendors were selling different products including caps, flags, a variety of snacks, and artists were drawing national flag on the cheek of children and young people.
President M Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by placing wreaths.
Flanked by her party leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League, paid glowing tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by placing another wreath at the National Memorial on behalf of her party.
Jatiya Sangsad speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique, senior AL leaders, leaders of the AL-led party alliance, and high civil and military officials, among others, were present there.
Political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, cultural organisations and non-government along with educational institutions placed floral wreaths paying tribute to the martyrs of 1971.
The national flag was hoisted atop government, semi-government and private buildings.
Improved foods were be served at hospitals, jails, orphanages, vagrant homes, the Muktijoddha Kendra and charity homes.
Newspapers published special supplements while television and radio stations will air special programmes marking the day.
President M Abdul Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanam hosted a reception at Bangabhaban marking the country’s 53rd Independence and National Day on Sunday.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, joined the reception on the lawn of the Bangabhaban.
Besides, president-elect Md Sahabuddin, his wife Rebecca Sultana, speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique attended the reception programme.
About 2,500 guests were invited to the programme of the Independence and National Day reception after a long gap for the Covid pandemic.
At least six people were injured as two groups of the Bangladesh Chhatra League clashed during the Independence Day programme at Sir Ashutosh Govt College at Boalkhali in Chattogram on Sunday.
The two groups of the ruling Awami League-backed student body led by it college unit convener Arafat Hossain Tareq and joint-convener Morshedul Alam Irfan engaged in the clash on the college campus at about 12:30pm, said Boalkhali police officer-in-charge Abdur Razzak.
The injured are college unit BCL convener Arafat Hossain Tareq, joint-convener Mahim Uddin and activists Jahed Hossain, Md Mithu, Altaf Hossain Hridoy and Shuvo Das, according to Boalkhali Upazila Health Complex duty doctor Ohiuddin Sumon.
This Article originally published in Dhaka based Daily The New Age