The visiting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid homage to the memories of martyred freedom fighters by placing wreaths at the national memorial in Savar.
Modi, dressed in his iconic ivory Kurta and churidar pajama pairing with ash-colored sleeveless jacket, looked somber as he reached the national memorial in Savar at 11:20am. He placed the wreaths there commemorating the supreme sacrifices of the worthy sons of the soil who embraced martyrdom during the country’s great war of liberation.
After placing wreaths, he stood for some time in solemn silence to pay respect to the martyred freedom fighters. A smartly turned-out contingent of three services presented a guard of honour to the Indian prime minister when the bugles played the last post.
Later, he signed a visitor’s book and planted a sapling on the national memorial premises. On his arrival at the memorial premises, Modi was received, among others, by housing and public works minister Mosharraf Hossain and law minister Anisul Huq .
Later he Modi went to Dhanmodni and paid tributes to the memories of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmandi.
Bangabandhu’s grandson Redwan Mujib Siddique and members of the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust welcomed the
Indian premier to the country’s founding father’s private residence, which is now the memorial museum, and escorted him to different parts of the house during his 27-munite stay there.
Modi offered wreaths on a mural of the country’s founder and stood for sometime on the balcony on the upstairs from where Bangabandhu often used to interact with the people during the pre-independence period.
Those who accompanied the Indian premier inside the museum included member-secretary of the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, CEO of the Trust Mashura Hossain and member Shahnaj Yasmin.
Modi, who sounded excited about the visit, tweeting ‘this visit is going to strengthen the bond between our nations, benefitting people of our countries & our region,’ started ahead of his scheduled departure time from Delhi for Dhaka, landed here at 10.08 am on a 36-hour official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He also thanked his Bangladeshi counterpart in tweet saying, ‘Thank you PM Sheikh Hasina for the warm welcome. I look forward to a very good visit that will strengthen ties between India & Bangladesh.’
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, received Modi at the airport as he alighted from IAF Rajdoot at 10.25 am.
Source: New Age