Bengali new year parade in Dhaka stands up to militancyPublished14 April 2017Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Salman Saeed/BBCImage caption, Bengali new year was celebrated across Bangladesh on Friday, with the parade in the capital, Dhaka, carrying an anti-militancy message.Image source, Salman Saeed/BBCImage caption, Armed police guarded the crowds, after some Islamist groups condemned the celebrations as anti-Islamic.Image source, Salman Saeed/BBCImage caption, Traditional Bangla drummers got the crowds dancing during the procession, known locally as Mongol Shobhajatra.Image source, Salman Saeed/BBCImage caption, One young spectator was mesmerised by the giant floats.Image source, Salman Saeed/BBCImage caption, The event was organised by the Faculty of Fine Art of Dhaka University and drew a diverse range of participants, including members of the LGBT community.More on this storyBangladesh country profilePublished16 August