India celebrated Bangladesh’s independence with much fanfare on Monday but the neighbouring country tried to expunge India’s role in the December 16, 1971, triumph over Pakistani forces that birthed Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee almost echoed each other in their Vijay Divas (Victory Day) messages, paying tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought alongside the Mukti Bahini.

“No one can ever forget the role of Bengal and India in Bangladesh’s freedom movement,” Mamata, chief guest at the Vijay Divas programme organised by the Eastern Command in Calcutta, said.

“We are so proud of the bravery displayed by the Indian Army,” she said in her brief address in what was her first appearance at the celebrations, being held since 1972.

Earlier in the day, Modi had in a post on X paid “tribute to the courage and sacrifices of the soldiers” during the 1971 war, which ended with the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers.

President Droupadi Murmu and defence minister Rajnath Singh too remembered the sacrifices of the heroes of the 1971 war.

But the celebration across the eastern border marked a departure from the tradition of the last 52 years. It was not only muted but had several new elements such as a rally by the Jamaat-e-Islami, which had opposed the freedom movement and conspired with the Pakistani forces to carry out killings of the freedom fighters.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the chief adviser to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, oversaw the biggest deviation from the tradition: their addresses made no mention of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the freedom struggle, or his iconic “Joy Bangla” chant.

India’s role in the Muktijuddho or Liberation War, always acknowledged and appreciated by earlier governments in Dhaka — even by Shahabuddin on December 16 last year — did not feature in their speeches.

The omission of any reference to India across the border — despite small delegations of war heroes participating in each other’s events in Dhaka and Calcutta — became a talking point among the ordinary people, serving officers and veterans who had turned up at the EasternCommand programme.

Mamata complimented senior officers for putting together a “fantastic show”.

A source in Dhaka’s diplomatic circles who had attended several Victory Day events at Banga Bhavan, the President’s residence, told The Telegraph that this year’s programme was not a patch on previous years’ celebrations.

Vijay Divas celebrations in Calcutta on Monday. Pradip Sanyal

“It’s as though they were hosting it for the sake of it.... Several diplomats did not even get a chance to greet the President on the occasion, with security guards preventing the guests from getting close to him,” the source said.

A veteran journalist said the interim government had systematically sucked any mood of celebration out of the Victory Day programmes as part of a larger strategy to rewrite the country’s history.

“They want the next generation to forget Mujibur Rahman.... They don’t want people to remember the role played by the Rajakars, who colluded with the Pakistani army to sabotage our freedom struggle. Most importantly, they don’t want to recognise India’s role in the 1971 war,” the journalist said.

The assessment was proved right by Asif Nazrul, Yunus’s law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser, who went after Modi for his post on Vijay Divas.

“I strongly protest. The day 16 December 1971 was the day of victory for Bangladesh. India was an ally of this victory, nothing more,” Nazrul, known for his anti-India rhetoric, wrote on X.

Several student leaders —key players in the interim government — re-tweeted his post, confirming the new regime’s endorsement of Nazrul’s comments.

A senior Awami League politician said the interim government had fostered a sense of fear among ordinary people ahead of Victory Day by arresting the party’s youth leadership, including women, and banning the movement of public vehicles in and around Dhaka University (DU).

“For years, DU had been the epicentre of the Victory Day celebrations.... The Yunus government spoiled the mood by banning vehicular movement and carrying out unnecessary arrests. Besides, there was an attack by radical Islamists on DU teachers two days ago,” the source, who has been in hiding since Sheikh Hasina’s August 5 ouster, said.

“The message to the masses has been clear— stay away from Victory Day celebrations.”

While ordinary people mostly stayed indoors, the constituents of the government did organise a few events. But the messaging proved that their primary interest was to celebrate the fall of the Hasina government.

Asif Mahmud, student leader turned adviser to Yunus, said at one of the events that this year’s Victory Day celebrations had provided the first taste of independence to the people of Bangladesh. “The fascist Hasina government’s fall is the real independence,” he said.

In her address, Mamata appeared to allude to the new sound bites from Bangladesh but did not elaborate.

“I do not know... don’t understand the present situation. It will not be proper for me to say anything. The matter depends on the Government of India and the Indian army,” she said at the Vijay Divas event.