Agartala, Mar 26, 2023, TRIPURA TIMES Desk
Agartala, March 26: The Bangladeshi Independence Day has been celebrated in Tripura on Sunday with numerous functions and events.
Bangladesh's Assistant High Commission in Agartala organised a series of programmes to observe the day.
Artistes, including renowned singers from both Bangladesh and India, performed in the functions.
Discussions were held highlighting the significance of Bangladesh Independence Day and National Day.
Bangladesh celebrates its Independence Day on March 26 -- which is also a national holiday.
The day commemorates Bangladesh's declaration of Independence from Pakistan in the early hours of March 25, 1971 following the brutal Operation Searchlight genocide committed by the Pakistanis on the Bengalis in the then East Pakistan.
Tripura played the most important and key role in Bangladesh Liberation War that began with the genocide. The state was the hub of several important Indian military and intelligence operations and strategic planning. The state also gave shelter to 15 lakh plus refugees from the then East Pakistan when its own population was less than 15 lakhs.
It is from here that thousands of guerrilla raids were carried out and three sectors of the Bangladeshi military officials operated.
It was on Dec 3 1971 the war was officially declared leading to humiliating defeat of Pakistan within 13 days- as many as 93,000 Pakistani soldiers led by their East Pakistan chief AKA Niazi surrendering in Dhaka on December 16, 1971.
India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.
According to Bangladeshi freedom fighters and experts Pakistani forces, during the 9 months of the Liberation War (March 26 to December 16, 1971), massacred over 3 million Bengali-speaking people, including children, and raped over 6 lakhs women.