The Jinjira massacre () was a planned killing of civilians by the

Pakistan army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

during the

Bangladesh liberation war The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

of 1971. The killing took place at the unions Jinjira, Kalindi and Shubhadya of Keraniganj Upazila across the Buriganga River from

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Background

The

1971 Bangladesh atrocities 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 Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as Operation Searchlig ...

began as the Pakistan army launched

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

on 25 March 1971 to suppress the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

uprising in then

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 ...

. As a reaction, people from Dhaka flocked to Keraniganj on the other side of the river. The union Jinjira and nearby areas were inhabited by a large number of Hindu families. The elements of Pakistan army, now in control of Dhaka city after the crackdown of 25 March marked Jinjira and surrounding area as a target for military operation.

Massacre

The army started to amass forces around Keraniganj from midnight of 2 April. They took control of the Mitford Hospital by the river. At around 5 am, they commenced the attack by throwing flares from the roof of the mosque adjacent to the hospital.''Atmokotha 1971'' (My story 1971) by Nirmalendu Gun, Bangla Prokash, 2008 (page 147) The army moved into Jinjira and opened fire on people. The

massacre A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...

continued for hours. One incident took place beside a pond near Nandail Dak Street, where 60 people were killed. Women were raped. The soldiers also burned down houses and left no house undamaged. More than a thousand people died in this massacre.

Cover-up in the Pakistani media

In the night of 2 April

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcasting, broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadc ...

broadcast news about strong military action against separatist miscreants taking shelter at Jinjira of Keraniganj on the other side of Buriganga. On 3 April The Morning News came up with the headline "Actions taken against miscreants at Jinjira".''Ekatturer Dinguli'' (Days of 71) by Jahanara Imam, Shandhani publications, 2005 (page 56)

References

{{coord missing, Pakistan April 1971 in Bangladesh 1971 Bangladesh genocide Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan Building and structure arson attacks in Bangladesh Arson in 1971 1970s fires in Asia Attacks on mosques in Bangladesh 1970s in Islam Attacks on buildings and structures in 1971 Cover-ups Massacres of Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan Arson in Dhaka Dhaka in the Bangladesh Liberation War Murder in Dhaka 20th-century attacks on mosques Mosque arson in Asia

Background

Massacre

Cover-up in the Pakistani media

See also

References