India commemorates 40th anniversary of Bangladesh war victory

India on Friday paid tribute to its martyred soldiers, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war that resulted in the liberation of East Pakistan now called Bangladesh.

December 16 is celebrated as 'Vijay Divas' across India.

Defence Minister AK Antony, who laid a wreath at the war memorial here, said that it was a time to remember the war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

"Today is a solemn day...a historic day," he said.

To a poser on the ongoing row over the withdrawal of the Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Antony said the sensitive border areas in Jammu and Kashmir needed to remain on alert all the time.

"Even though the violence level in Kashmir has substantially reduced, at the same time, attempt of infiltration is still persisting. So, we have to be alert still on 24X7, in our border areas. We cannot ignore the threat, so we have to be always alert," he said.

The Army has voiced serious reservations over withdrawal of the AFSPA from certain parts, citing security concerns.

The Defence Ministry had earlier made it clear that the decision on removing AFSPA would be taken by the Unified Command.

The chiefs of the defence forces in India, Army chief General V.K. Singh, Air chief Air Marshal N.A.K. Browne and Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, also paid their homage to the martyred soldiers.