Published on 12:37 PM, December 16, 2015

Nation’s 45th Victory Day, but their first

A former enclave girl along with her younger sibling celebrating their first ever Victory Day in Lalmonirhat on December 16, 2015. Photo: S Dilip Roy

A hundred voices tuned in to sing Amar Sonar Bangla to mark the first ever Victory Day in the recently dissolved enclaves in the northern district of Lalmonirhat.

Administrator of District Council Matiar Rahman accompanied the former enclave dwellers, now citizens of the country, and hoisted the national flag after dawn today.

At this time, over a hundred people, many of who were born as an alien in Bangladesh, sang the national anthem, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

All of the 111 former enclave lands, situated in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Panchagarh are observing their first Victory Day in a pompous fashion.

Former enclave people of Dashiarchhara at Phulbari upazila in Kurigram pay homage marking the Victory Day today. Photo: Abdul Wahed

People were seen hoisting the national flag at their homes, distributing sweets, bringing out rallies and holding cultural programmes since morning in several enclaves of Lalmonirhat.

In August this year, Bangladesh received 111 enclaves, formerly Indian land inside its own boundary, with 52,000 people via the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).

These people were deprived of basic amenities such as education and healthcare, for the last 68 years.