Nation to observe Genocide Day today

The nation will observe Genocide Day in solemn remembrance of the brutal crackdown by the Pakistani occupation forces on unarmed Bengalis on the night of 25 March 1971, carried out under the codename “Operation Searchlight”.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman have issued special messages on the eve of the day.

The government has planned various state-level programmes to mark the day with due respect. A one-minute symbolic ‘blackout’ will be observed nationwide on Wednesday from 10:30 pm to 10:31 pm, according to a PID handout.

Discussion and memorial programmes will be held at educational institutions – including schools, colleges, madrasahs and technical institutes – with the participation of eminent personalities and valiant freedom fighters, highlighting the genocide and the Liberation War.

Documentary screenings and rare photographic exhibitions on the genocide will be arranged at selected locations in all city corporation areas, including Dhaka, from 12:00 noon.

Special prayers will be offered at mosques after Zuhr prayers or at convenient times, while prayers will also be held at other places of worship across the country in memory of the victims. Illumination will be avoided at night.

A seminar will also be held at 10:00 am, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Liberation War Museum.

The information was disclosed at an inter-ministerial meeting on the implementation of national programmes marking Genocide Day 2026 and Independence and National Day 2026, the handout added.