Dhaka’s famous Ramna Kali Temple, destroyed by the Pakistani forces in 1971, will be re-inaugurated by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind who is on an official visit to Bangladesh to participate in the 50th anniversary of Victory Day, the 'liberation' of Bangladesh.  The temple was targeted by the Pakistan forces a day after they started their infamous Operation Search Light against political opponents and religious minorities in then East Pakistan.   

Bangladesh and India are jointly celebrating—at the highest level—the golden jubilee of the 50th anniversary of Victory Day on 16 December, the day when the Pakistan Forces in 1971 surrendered to the joint forces of India and Bangladesh. 

Kovind, who reached Bangladesh on Wednesday, was received by his counterpart Abdul Hamid at the airport in a rare move to mark the significance of the occasion. He held wide-ranging discussions on the multifaceted bilateral relationship with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla, who is accompanying the President, said. 

Shringla said Kovind expressed “satisfaction on the excellent progress made in the robust and multifaceted bilateral partnership.” With Hasina, the discussion was “comprehensive, encompassing many areas of multifaceted cooperation, including jointly preserving the legacy of Bangabandhu and the 1971 Liberation War,” he told reporters on Wednesday night. 

Calling it a “rare occasion”, when all three senior Indian leaders—Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and President Ram Nath Kovind—visited the country in the year, Shringla said the year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Bangladesh, 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Dhaka and the 100th birth anniversary of Bangladesh founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  

On Bangladesh’s remarkable transformation, President Kovind lauded the progress made by the country in its socio-economic sphere under the leadership of Prime Minister Hasina. 

On his first day of the visit—the first by an Indian president in eight years—Kovind visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar, some 35 km northwest of Dhaka, and Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi. Significantly, this is also the first foreign visit by the Indian president since the pandemic began in early 2020. 

When asked about the growing influence of China in the region and its effects on India-Bangladesh ties, Shringla responded, “India and Bangladesh are bound by the ties of history, language, spirituality, and culture. Our ties are unique. And, we don’t compare our relations with those that are there with other countries.” 

(SAM)