The 41st death anniversary of BNP founder  and ex-president of the country Ziaur Rahman was observed with various programmes across the country on Monday.

Black flags were hoisted while party flags kept at half-mast atop the party's central offices and chairperson’s Gulshan office at 6am as part of its programme to mark the day.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir together with party senior leaders paid homage to Zia by placing a wreath at his grave on the occasion.

Leaders of BNP’s different associate bodies also placed wreaths at Zia’s grave on the occasion.

Zia, who founded Bangladesh Nationalist Party in 1978, was assassinated by a group of disgruntled army officers at the erstwhile Chittagong circuit house on May 30, 1981 while serving as the country's president, a position he formally assumed in 1977.

Mirza Fakhrul and party standing committee members distributed food and clothes among the destitute at 70 points of the capital on the day arranged by Dhaka North and South units of BNP.

READ: Zia’s 41st death anniversary Monday

Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) arranged a free medical camp at BNP’s Naya paltan central office from where poor people were provided with treatment and d medicines.

The party's all district, city and thana units also observed the day amid various programmes, including discussions and distribution of food among the poor.

BNP and its different associate bodies chalked out a 10-day programme to observe the death anniversary across the country with due reverence.

The observance of Zia's death anniversary programmes began on Sunday through holding a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, in the capital. The programmes will end on June 7.