Chuknagar massacre (Bengali: চুকনগর গণহত্যা) was a massacre of Bengali Hindus committed by the Pakistan Army and local collaborators during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971.[1] The massacre took place on 20 May 1971 at Dumuria in Khulna[2] and it was one of the largest massacres during the war.[3] According to local estimates, between 10,000 and 12,000 people were killed, though the exact number of persons killed in the massacre is not known.[1] Academic Sarmila Bose, in her controversial book.[4] dismisses claims that 10,000 were killed as "unhelpful", and argues that the reported number of attackers could have shot no more than several hundred people before running out of ammunition.[5] The majority of people killed in the massacre were men, although an unknown number of women and children were murdered as well.[6]
§ indicates events in the internal resistance movement linked to the Indo-Pakistani War. ‡ indicates events in the Indo-Pakistani War linked to the internal resistance movement in Bangladesh.
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.[citation needed]
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.[6]
Memorial
Chuknagar 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.[2]
