President to visit ‘Ramna Kali’ Temple in Dhaka
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind will visit the historic 'Ramna Kali' temple in Dhaka during his visit to Bangladesh for the 50th Victory Day celebrations.
In March 1971, the historic temple was destroyed by the Pakistani Army at the time of the Bangladesh liberation war.
The temple was destroyed by the Pakistani army under the "Operation Searchlight" in which lakhs of locals in East Pakistan were killed, including many members of the minority Hindu community as well.
In 2017, when external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj visited Bangladesh, she announced that India will help in reconstructing the temple.
Before the temple was destroyed, it was Dhaka's key religious and cultural heritage. During Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mukibur Rahman's famous address of March 7, 1971, the beautiful temple could be seen in the background in the photos.
President Ram Nath Kovind will be in Dhaka from December 15 to 17 and will be attending the Victory Day celebrations on December 16 as chief guest. The parade will include a 122-member tri-service contingent from the Indian armed forces.
On the first day of his visit, he will pay tributes at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar. He will also meet with the Muktijoddhas or Bangladeshis who took up arms to free the country.
This is the first visit of the President since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in March 2021, PM Narendra Modi had also visited the country as part of his first foreign visit amid the coronavirus crisis.
2021, notably, marks the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's independence, 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu, said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
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