Bangladesh Armed Forces delegation in India to participate in Republic Day parade

A contingent of 122 members of Bangladesh Armed Forces have reached Delhi yesterday to participate in the 2021 Republic Day parade there in commemoration of Bangladesh's 50th anniversary of independence.

"Together We Fought, Together We March, proud of 50 years of a friendship beyond strategic partnership," Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami tweeted along with photos of the forces before the special C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

While the Bangladesh contingent will join the celebration this year, the Republic Day parade will otherwise be a muted affair compared to other years on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event, which is usually a celebration of India's cultural heritage and military might, will have a limited audience, and reduced distance for the parade, reported The Print.

Bangladesh earned liberation through a bloody war of nine months on December 16, 1971, from Pakistan. India had sheltered about a crore Bangladeshis, trained freedom fighters and actively took part in the war against the Pakistani occupation army since early December 1971.

Bangladesh has chalked out elaborate programmes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence. India too will be jointly organising events to commemorate the milestone, including events across the country where war veterans will be celebrated. Other programmes include seminars and band displays.

India's defence ministry had said last month that four flaming torches will be carried to various parts of India, including to the villages of Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra awardees of the war.