After talks, Bangladesh's Muktijoddhas may grace Vijay Diwas in Kolkata
Times of India | 13 December 2024
Representative Image KOLKATA: After weeks of speculation over the participation of Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) from Bangladesh at the annual Vijay Diwas in Kolkata this month, the Indian Army on Thursday said a Bangladesh delegation was likely to attend the event on Monday to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the war that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
“A Bangladesh delegation, including Muktijoddhas, is likely to attend the Vijay Diwas celebration in Kolkata,” said a defence spokesperson on Thursday. But an officer said unlike in other years, the ministry of external affairs had not yet cleared a media interaction with Bangladesh freedom fighters. But he confirmed the delegation would arrive on Sunday.
Vijay Diwas is commemorated on Dec 16 with grand ceremonies at Fort William, the Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata. The annual event hosts Muktijoddhas, who served as crucial members of Mukti Bahini, a resistance force of military personnel and civilian volunteers during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
At the curtain-raiser ceremony of the annual event last week, Mohit Seth, Major General General Staff (MGGS), headquarters, Eastern Command, had said Muktijoddhas’ participation was uncertain in the absence of a confirmation from Bangladesh till last Friday. But an officer said the situation changed after Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Bangladesh on Monday, the first diplomatic step since the change in political powers in Bangladesh. Misri held meetings with his counterpart in Bangladesh and the chief adviser to the interim govt there, Md Yunus. Misri had said he “emphasised that India desires a positive, constructive, and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh and desires to work closely with the interim govt of Bangladesh Authority”.
Eastern Command officers didn’t comment on whether Misri’s visit led to the change in plans, but a source in the ministry said there was a positive response from the Bangladesh Army shortly after the meeting.
The event usually spreads over three-four days with media interactions with Muktijoddhas, military tattoo and the commemoration ceremony. But given Bangladesh’s late response, it would be a curtailed one-day affair this year, an officer said.
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