Kaliganj massacre
| Kaliganj massacre কালিগঞ্জ হত্যাকান্ড | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Kaliganj, Rangpur, East Pakistan |
| Date | 27 April 1971 (UTC+6:00) |
| Target | Bengali Hindus |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Weapons | Rifles |
| Deaths | 400 |
| Perpetrators | Pakistani Army |
Kaliganj massacre (Bengali: কালিগঞ্জ হত্যাকান্ড) refers to the massacre of unarmed Bengali Hindus fleeing to India in Kaliganj market, in the present day Jaldhaka Upazila of Nilphamari District on 27 April 1971. An estimated 400 Bengali Hindus were killed by the Pakistan Army.[1][2] It is alleged that this massacre was masterminded by Muslim League leader and central minister Kazi Abdul Kader.[3]
Background
In 1971, Kaliganj market fell under Jaldhaka police station of Nilphamari sub-division of the erstwhile greater Rangpur district. Now, known as the Bangabandhu market, it falls under the Golna Union of Jaldhaka Upazila of Nilphamari District in Rangpur Division. The Bangabandhu market is situated 9 km to the north west of Jaldhaka Upazila headquarters.[4][5]
Killings
In 1971, when the Pakistan army launched a genocidal campaign in Bangladesh, the Bengali Hindus of the area began to flee to India. On 27 April, more than a thousand Bengali Hindus of different unions of the present day Jaldhaka Upazila took refuge in Kaliganj market. Some of them left towards India. At around 10 am, an estimated 300 Bengali Hindu men, women and children from Balagram Union arrived in Kaliganj market.
Around the same time a contingent of the Pakistan army arrived in Kaliganj market in four convoys. Before the stranded Bengali Hindu refugees could understand anything, they were sprayed with bullets. According to survivor Amar Krishna Adhikari, a Pakistani major separated the refugees into two groups. One group was taken to the nearby canal where they were shot dead. The rest were shot on the spot.[6] The wounded were buried alive along with those who died on the spot.[2]
Aftermath
In 1999, a memorial was built in the memory of the victims.[5]
References
- ^ "আজ জলঢাকা কালিগঞ্জ গণহত্যা দিবস". bd24live.com (in Bengali). 27 April 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ a b "আজ জলঢাকায় গণহত্যা দিবস". Dainik Ittefaq (in Bengali). Dhaka. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-66576
- ^ "কালিগঞ্জ গণহত্যা দিবস পালিত". banglanews24.com. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ a b "আজ কালীগঞ্জ গণহত্যা দিবস". Jai Jai Din (in Bengali). Dhaka. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "আজ জলঢাকা গণহত্যা দিবস". Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Dhaka. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2014.