A team of Mukti Joddhas and their families from Bangladesh will be part of this year’s Vijay Diwas celebrations in Calcutta along with several serving officers from the Bangladesh’s armed forces like every year.

But the celebrations this time will be a muted affair.

Vijay Diwas is celebrated on December 16 to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

The Eastern Command has been traditionally celebrating Vijay Diwas as a mark of respect to the fallen heroes of the Indian armed forces and the Mukti Joddhas of Bangladesh, who had made the victory possible. Both India and Bangladesh celebrate Vijay Diwas simultaneously and, every year, reciprocal visits by delegations from both countries, consisting of military personnel, political leadership and war veterans, are usually conducted.

This year, the Vijay Diwas celebrations by the Eastern Command in Calcutta would be a low-key affair with the pandemic playing a spoil sport and the coronavirus imposing certain restrictions.

There will be no military tattoo, which used to be one of the biggest draws, at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club grounds and even the interface with the civilians and the army would be cut down in a break away from the annual convention.

Almost all the celebrations would be held inside Fort William and a whole range of safety measures would be in place to restrict footfall and spread the traditional events over a larger area in the open.

There won’t be any helicopter fight display, horse show or the customary military band concert at the Prinsep Ghat this time.

Usually, the celebration would start a few days ahead of the Vijay Diwas and continue for a few more days after. This year, the celebrations have been scheduled for two days — on December 14 and December 16.

The golden jubilee celebrations of Vijay Diwas is slated to be held next year and the Eastern Command of the Indian Army had initially drawn up an elaborate plan to mark the run-up.

But with the pandemic-induced restrictions the celebrations have been scuttled.

In solidarity

Calcuttans walk from Sealdah to the SN Banerjee-Chowringhee Road crossing in Esplanade on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with farmers protesting on the Delhi-Haryana border for 10 days now.

The 1,200-strong rally included a large number of Calcuttans with roots in Punjab. The rallyists demanded the repeal of three new farm laws that farmers feel will leave them

at the mercy of oligarchs and a bill that proposes to reduce electricity subsidies and privatise power distribution. “We want the Centre to repeal the three farm laws and withdraw the electricity bill,” said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, the general secretary of Behala Gurdwara, who was at the rally. The protest, organised by All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee with the support of Behala Gurdwara, charitable organisation IHA Foundation and others, started from Sealdah at 2.30pm and reached Dorina crossing at 4.30pm.

They burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.