Droupadi Murmu sworn in as India's first tribal president

Droupadi Murmu took the oath of office Monday as India's 15th president, report agencies.
She is the first person from India's tribal communities to take the top post constitutional post and is the second woman to do so.
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered the oath to her on Monday.
Bangladesh President M Abdul Hamid congratulated his new Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu on her assumption of office as the 15th President of the Republic of India, saying that it would help further bolster the existing bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries.
In a congratulatory message to Murmu, Abdul Hamid said, "On behalf of the people of Bangladesh and on my own behalf, I wish to extend my warmest congratulations to you as the 15 President of the Republic of India. As the President of Bangladesh-one of the best performing countries in women's empowerment in the region, it is heartening to see you taking up the responsibilities of this high office."
After taking oath, the 64-year-old teacher turned politician said, "My election is proof that the poor in the country can have dreams and also fulfil them."
Droupadi said getting a primary education was a dream for her and added that she would focus on the welfare of the marginalised.
Addressing the country's youth, she added, "As president, you have my full support."
The former school teacher and state governor was elected to the largely ceremonial position last week with 64 percent of the vote by members of India's parliament and state assemblies.
Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe and was born in eastern Odisha state, paid her respects before her inauguration at a memorial dedicated to India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.
"I started my life journey from a small tribal village," Murmu, 64, said after taking the oath of office in parliament.
"From the background I come from, it was like a dream for me to even get elementary education," she added.
"But despite many obstacles, my resolve remained strong and I became the first daughter from my village to go to college."
Murmu's win was considered a certainty because of the strength of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the parliament and state assemblies.
Analysts said the move would probably help Prime Minister Narendra Modi extend his base among the poor tribal communities ahead of his re-election bid in 2024.
"Her assuming the Presidency is a watershed moment for India especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden," Modi said on Twitter after Murmu's address.
Murmu said her election would give hope to those left behind by India's recent economic growth.
"It is a matter of great satisfaction to me that those who have been deprived for centuries, who have been away from the benefits of development... are seeing their reflection in me," she said.