Bangladesh participates in Republic Day parade for the first time in 50 years; see pics

Anurag Srivastava, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson on January 26 not only shared the images of 122-member Bangladeshi regiment marching during the 72nd Republic Day parade but also deemed it a “historic moment” in 50 years of bilateral ties between both the nations. This was for the first time ever, that contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces participated at the historic Republic Day celebrations at New Delhi on Tuesday.

As per reports, the majority of the soldiers in the contingent come from the most distinguished units of the Bangladeshi Army comprising of 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 & 11 East Bengal Regiment and 1, 2 and 3 Field Artillery Regiment. These units reportedly also have the distinct honour of fighting and winning the Liberation War of 1971.

During the iconic ceremony, according to the tradition, the national flag was unfurled in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other dignitaries, followed by the national anthem with a booming 21-gun salute. Among other highlights of the parade, India even showed its military might with Rafale fighter jets taking part in the flypast for the first time and the armed forces showcasing T-90 tanks, the Samvijay electronic warfare system, and Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets.

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‘Very good experience’ and ‘great responsibility’

Earlier, Colonel Mohatsim Hyder Chaudhary, chief of the Bangladesh contingent had said on January 25 that the marching style of both Indian and Bangladeshi contingent is similar and thus, they did not have to change the pattern a lot. Just hours before the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day celebrations in India begin in New Delhi, Chaudhary had told news agency ANI that it is a “great responsibility” assigned to Bangladeshi contingent of putting a great show. He also said that the forces are excited about Tuesday’s parade. 

"It is a great responsibility that has been assigned to us. The men with me are very excited to participate in this parade... If you ask about the feelings, participating in a foreign land, with a foreign army and with the same tempo is very much exciting," he said.

Chaudhary added, "It is a very good experience. Fortunately, the way we march and the marching of the Indian contingent are quite similar. From that point of view, we didn't have to change our pattern much."

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