Information Minister Hasan Mahmud yesterday unveiled a memorial plaque in Kolkata for West Bengal journalists Dipak Bandopadhyay and Surajit Ghoshal who sacrificed their lives during Bangladesh's Liberation War.

The minister, now visiting Kolkata, unveiled the plaque on the premises of Kolkata Press Club before going to Brigade Parade Ground associated with the memories of Bangabandhu, reports BSS.

Addressing the event, Hasan said though the countries are divided, the minds of the people of Bangladesh and India could not be divided.

He said Bangladesh is now moving forward maintaining the deep relations between the two nations.

Speaking at the event, Kolkata Press Club President Snehashish Sur said India, without the then journalists, would not have been able to know how Bangladeshis spent their days during that period.

He said a total of 13 journalists, including Dipak and Surajit, had sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War in 1971 and the Press Club published a book on this issue marking the 100 years of the foundation of the club.

Later, the information minister joined a lunch and discussion, organised by banglaworld.com.

BANGLADESH FILM FESTIVAL OPENED

India has said its relationship with Bangladesh has withstood the test of time and both countries have "charted a unique model for regional cooperation that is quite unparalleled in South Asia", reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 3rd Bangladesh Film Festival at Nandan in Kolkata on Friday evening in presence of Bangladesh Information Minister Hasan Mahmud, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the spirit of Liberation War spurred the India-Bangladesh relationship, which is the foundation of the bilateral relationship for the years to come.

He said both countries were blessed with history, culture, language and above all an ardent belief in freedom, justice and pluralism. He described the commonalities as the "bridge" to a future of peace and prosperity.

"The India-Bangladesh bilateral relationship has withstood the test of time, and even as the world undergoes great upheaval in the post-pandemic era, our relationship grows from strength to strength," Shringla said.

"A great role in building the bilateral relationship and inspiring it to where it has come today can be traced back to none other than Bangladesh's Jatir Pita Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," he added.

Shringla recalled that Bangabandhu -- in his historic February 6, 1972 speech at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on his way back home -- had said "this victory [in the Liberation War] would not have been ours if the people of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya did not extend their unstinting support to my people... people of India rose to the occasion and they shared their food with my people. This victory would not have been possible if the government of India had not been behind us. What you have done, we can never repay."

He said this year would see a plethora of events in both India and Bangladesh as well as in third countries and at the UN headquarters in New York, through which the two neighbours would jointly celebrate Mujib Borsho.

"The deep historical bond between our two nations has been etched in golden letters with the blood of our soldiers. It was protected and preserved by the sheer determination of our peoples," Shringla, a former high commissioner to Bangladesh, said.

Inaugurating the film festival, Information Minister Hasan said the event would help deepen proximity of Bangladesh and West Bengal.

He said a film touches the feelings of people and that is why it plays an important role in building people-to-people communication.