Chuknagar Massacre
Massacre
Chuknagar is a small town at Dumuria of Khulna, adjacent to the Indian border. After the Pakistan military launched a military campaign called Operation Searchlight, many people of the Bengali Hindu community started fleeing from Khulna and Bagerhat. They crossed Bhadra River and arrived at Chuknagar to cross the Indian border using Satkhira Road. By May 15, 1971, large numbers of refugees from nearby localities gathered at Chuknagar, as rumors broke out of an impending Pakistani attack. On 20 May, around 10:00, a group of Pakistani military personnel equipped with semi-automatic rifles and light machine guns came on around three trucks. They stopped at a place called Jhautala (then known as Pathkhola) at the left corner of the Chuknagar Bazaar. Then they opened fire on the Pathkhola grounds and later moved to Chuknagar Bazaar and continued firing until 15:00.
Many people drowned as they jumped into the river in a largely futile attempt to flee the carnage. Local people later disposed off the dead bodies by throwing them into the river.
Memorial
A memorial was built to pay homage to the people who died in the massacre. The memorial is called Chuknagar Shohid Smritishoudho or Chuknagar martyred memorial.
See also
References
- ^ "Recognize Chuknagar Genocide, demand activists". Dhaka Tribune. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Rahman, Md Mujibur (20 May 2013), ২০ মে চুকনগর গণহত্যা দিবস [20 May Chuknagar Day Massacre], The Daily Janakantha (in Bengali), archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 15 October 2015
- ^ "Chuknagar genocide day observed", New Age (Bangladesh), p. 11, 21 May 2006, archived from the original on 23 October 2007
- ^ Lawson, Alastair (16 June 2011). "Controversial book accuses Bengalis of 1971 war crimes". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ Sarmila Bose (2011), Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War, London: Hurst and Co, p. 124, ISBN 978-1-84904-049-5
- ^ Sarmila Bose (2011), Dead Reckoning: Memories of the 1971 Bangladesh War, London: Hurst and Co, pp. 119–122, ISBN 978-1-84904-049-5
Further reading
- Tripathi, Salil (2016). The Colonel Who Would Not Repent: The Bangladesh War and Its Unquiet Legacy. Yale University Press. pp. 118–124. ISBN 978-0-300-21818-3.