Dhaka, April 14 -- Some held protest placards, others dressed in traditional Bengali clothes.

People from different communities joined the festivities, representing their own traditions. Attendees at the Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra procession gathered to celebrate Pohela Boishakh, or Bengali New Year, on the Dhaka University campus.

The joyous event was held by the university's Faculty of Fine Arts, as it is every year.

Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan and other notable personages took part this year.

In a Facebook post, Advisor Farooki said: "From this year on, we'll get rid of the demeaning idea that says the new year comes only for Bengalis in our land and so the f...