Bangladesh honours 31 Indian, Russian soldiers

Bangladesh on Wednesday honoured 31 Indian and Russian members of the Allied Forces for their roles in the liberation war in 1971, reports UNB.

A reception was hosted in their honour at a hotel in the capital, the ministry said in a statement.

Retired lieutenant general Rajendra Singh Kadyan led the 26-member Indian delegation. The five-member Russian delegation was led by Vasily Mihalovic.

They came to Bangladesh on 14 December at the invitation of the government on the occasion of the Victory Day. They attended various programmes during their visit.

Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque expressed gratitude towards India and Russia.

He said the kind of assistance provided by Indira Gandhi, the people of India and the allied forces during Bangladesh’s War of Independence is rare in the history of the world.

He recalled how the then Soviet Union vetoed a US proposal for armistice when Bangladesh’s victory was imminent.

The minister also recalled the Soviet soldiers who were killed in an explosion when removing mines planted by Pakistan occupation forces at Chattogram Port.

“The ties among India, Russia and Bangladesh forged in blood will never be undone,” he said.