Dhaka, March 26 -- Freedom fighters in Jashore have expressed grievances over what they say is the district administration's indifference toward Independence Day, citing the neglected state of the district's Victory Monument and the deliberate covering of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name with cloth.

The controversy unfolded Thursday morning at the Monihar terminal's Victory Monument during the wreath-laying ceremony to honour the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War.

Witnesses observed that the lower portion of the monument was wrapped in deep green cloth.

Only the top line of the inscription, "In memory of the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the great struggle for independence...", remained visible.

Local freedom f...