President Kovind pays homage to war heroes at National Mausoleum

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind today paid rich tributes to the memory of martyrs' freedom fighters at the National Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital.

The Indian president paid homage by placing a wreath at the memorial.

He also planted a sapling there and signed the visitors' book on the occasion.

"May the spirit of those who sacrificed their lives to realise the ideals of the Liberation War continue to guide our thoughts and actions," Kovind wrote in the visitors' book.

Earlier, Ram Nath Kovind reached Dhaka today at 11:10am on his 3-day visit to join the golden jubilee celebration of independence.

On his arrival, President Md Abdul Hamid along with his wife welcomed him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

A smartly turned-out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force gave him a guard of honour before he was escorted to the national memorial.

The Indian president is scheduled to visit Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in the capital's Dhanmondi to pay homage to Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman later in the day.

On the same afternoon, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the foreign minister will pay a courtesy call on President Ram Nath Kovind

Later, the Indian president will pay a courtesy call on the Bangladesh president at Bangabhaban on the same day, where he will hand over a T-55 tank and MiG-29 warplane, which were used during the Liberation War, to President Hamid for preservation and display at the museum.

In his maiden visit to Bangladesh, President Ram Nath Kovind is accompanied by the Indian first lady and their daughter, India's education minister and two parliament members alongside several senior officials.

He will leave Dhaka for New Delhi on Friday (17 December) afternoon.