Independence Day: Govt cancels gatherings, parades

In the wake of the confirmation of the first coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, the government has cancelled all parades and freedom fighters' gatherings across the country -- planned for the occasion of Independence Day -- with a view to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The Cabinet Division yesterday announced a revised programme, issuing a circular in line with the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Cabinet Division also sent the revised programme to all deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers across the country.

As part of the programme, a special supplement with the speeches of the president and the prime minister will be published on March 25 and 26.

A special prayer will be offered on the night of March 25, seeking eternal peace of those killed on the Black Night of March 25, 1971, and a symbolic, one-minute blackout will be observed on the night, according to the revised programme document.

Soon after sunrise the following day (March 26), the president and prime minister, along with a limited number of invited guests, will place wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar.

In the early hours of March 26, a 31-gun salute will be fired in Dhaka and all district and upazila headquarters to mark the day with due respect.

The national flag will be hoisted at all offices of the government, non-government and autonomous bodies across the country, which will all be adorned with lights.

District and upazila level headquarters across the country will hoist the flag formally with a limited number of participants.

Food and sweets will also be distributed across the country. The place and time of the event will be decided by the concerned authorities, the document said.