The Jathibhanga massacre () was a massacre of between 3,000-3,500 Bengali & Rajbanshi Hindus in Jathibhanga, Thakurgaon District,

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

) on 23 April 1971. It was perpetrated by the Pakistani Army in collaboration with the Razakars as part of the

1971 Bangladesh genocide The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis residing in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the Razakar (Pakistan), Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as ...

. The collaborators included members from

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

, Muslim League and

Pakistan Democratic Party The Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) was a political party in Pakistan, founded by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan in June 1967. Nawbzada Nasrullah Khan led the party until his death in 2003. After Nawab's death, the party's leadership was later taken ...

. It is estimated that more than 3,000

Bengali Hindus Bengali Hindus () are adherents of Hinduism who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. They make up the majority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Assam's Barak Valle ...

were killed in the massacre within a few hours.

Events

On the early morning of 23 April, the Hindus from the twelve villages of Jagannathpur, Chakhaldi, Singia, Chandipur, Alampur, Basudebpur, Gauripur, Milanpur, Khamarbhopla and Sukhanpokhari set out for

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. On their way, thousands of them gathered at a place called Jathibhanga for the onward journey. Soon after their arrival, the local collaborator blocked their exit routes out of Jathibhanga and informed the Pakistani Army. The Hindu men were led in a procession towards the Jathibhanga grounds. The Pakistani army who had by then arrived in two military trucks, forced the fleeing Hindus to stand in lines and burst fired them using machine guns. The killing spree started in the morning and went on till afternoon. After the military left, the collaborators moved the corpses to near the Pathraj river and covered them with earth. The estimated casualty varies between 3,000 and 3,500. However, it is generally accepted that more than 3,000 people died in the massacre. An estimated 300 to 500 women were widowed.

Memorial

In 2009, the Bangladesh government constructed a memorial at the site of the mass killing. In 2011, the survivors and the victims of the massacre brought out a mourning rally to commemorate the dead, followed by a condolence meeting. The speakers at the meeting demanded trial of the war criminals. In August, 2011, The Bangladesh government granted one time compensation of BDT 2,000 to 89 widows. Touhidul Islam, the

Upazila Nirbahi Officer An Upazila Nirbahi Officer (, abbreviated as UNO) is the chief executive officer of an upazila (subdistrict) and a mid-level officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service (administration cadre), known as Bangladesh Administrative Service. A senior a ...

of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila stated five hundred widows of Jathibhanga village would be brought under this scheme phase by phase.

References

{{1971 Bangladesh genocide, state=expanded Spree shootings in Bangladesh 1971 mass shootings in Asia 1971 Bangladesh genocide Massacres of Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan Thakurgaon District Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan April 1971 in Bangladesh Violence against men in Asia