Kolkata: On Vijay Diwas, officers of the Indian Armed Forces, along with their counterparts from the Bangladesh Army, laid a wreath at Vijay Smarak, Army Headquarters Eastern Command, in West Bengal's Kolkata on Monday.

India and Bangladesh will jointly commemorate the 53rd anniversary of Vijay Diwas of the 1971 India-Pakistan war today, with the annual exchange of war veterans and serving officers.

Indian and Bangladeshi veterans unite in Dhaka and Kolkata for Vijay Diwas celebrations, fostering friendship and shared history.

On December 16 every year, both India and Bangladesh celebrate Vijay Diwas to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war which also resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh. Bangladesh celebrates its Independence Day on March 26 but Dhaka emerged as the free capital of a free country on December 16 after nine months of Liberation War with crucial Indian assistance.

India played a pivotal role in Bangladesh's independence, offering military support, training the Mukti Bahini (Bangladeshi freedom fighters), and directly intervening to secure its liberation from Pakistan.