dhaka: President Pranab Mukherjee’s sasur bari (in-laws) place in Narail district of Bangladesh is in celebratory mood, waiting to greet their jamai (son-in-law) when he pays them his first-ever visit today. Mukherjee is to visit his in-law’s home along with his wife Shuvra Mukherjee at Bhadrabila village.
The house of Mukherjee’s in-laws has been given a facelift by the local administration ahead of the first couple’s visit. The road has been repaired. Mukherjee and his wife are to fly in a chopper to Narail, around 150km away. Kanai Lal Ghosh, brother of Shuvra, who has been living at their ancestral home, also confirmed their arrival and said he along with the villagers are ready to receive Mukherjee for whom it will be his maiden visit.
Local fish varieties, especially hilsa fish curry, and different kinds of pitha sweets are to be in the lunch menu for the honoured guests.
Narail Deputy Commissioner M Zohirul Haque has been quoted as saying that the President is likely to stay at his father-in-law’s house in the village for about an hour and then leave for Kushtia district to visit Rabindranath Tagore’s Kuthibari at Shilaidaha.
Security personnel of both countries have been working in tandem to ensure security and have visited the area several times. An Indian team from the high commission had also visited Narail about three weeks ago. Mukherjee is also slated to visit Shuvra’s maternal uncle’s home at Tularampur village under Sadar upazila.
Meanwhile, protesters threw a crude cocktail bomb near the gate of the hotel where the president is staying in Dhaka. An official said nobody was injured and the president would continue his three-day state visit, which is set to finish today.A statement from the president’s office said nobody in the delegation had heard the “minor explosion”. “Bursting of such cocktails are common in Bangladesh during hartals (shut-downs) and cannot be described as a bomb,” said the statement.Agencies
