Bangladesh honours 60 dignitaries for contribution in 1971 liberation war

Bangladesh has honoured 60 dignitaries from several countries and two institutions in recognition for their outstanding contribution in creating the country out of the 1971 Liberation War. The foreign friends were mostly Indians and included Communist leader Ila Mitra, her husband Romen Mitra, folk music legend Salil Chowdhury, singers Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Manna Dey, acclaimed filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, writer Sunil Gangopadhyay and famous painter Maqbool Fida Husain, who was awarded posthumously. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the honorary crest and the citations at the function organised at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.