Chuknagar,where the horrific massacre of 20 May 1971,carried out by Pakistani army and their Bengali/Bihari collaborators was almost forgotten until recent past. Only a handful of patriotic Bangladeshis led by Prof Shafiqul Islam of a local college was trying their best to keep the flag of remembrance of the victims and paying respect to their departed souls flying. Their means were meagre. Prof Shafique was trying his best to draw the attention of Bangladesh Government,fellow countrymen and the world to the biggest mass killing in the shortest possible time in human history. His persistent efforts brought in some results.For a few years now,the voices have started being heard. More and more people have started to know about the Chuknagar killings which was a part of the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 by Pakistanis.It is the biggest Genocide after the Holocaust and other Genocides during WW2. The loss of estimated three million people’s lives,injuring and causing mental trauma to many more,chastity and honour of between 200000 to 400000 women and girls,burning and destroying peoples homes and businesses turning them into helpless refugees and displaced from their roots,forced religious conversions,all these genocidal crimes were committed by the Pak army and their collaborators in 1971.Their targets were Awami league activists,supporters and sympathiser patriotic Bengalis as a national group and Hindus as a religious group of people. The Pakistanis considered Bengali progressive and patriotic muslims as Indian supporters influenced by Hindu culture and as such,inferior muslims. Hindus were treated by them as enemies of Pakistan who were trying to disintegrate the country. So,their intent and aim was to eliminate these two groups in full or in part. This essentially fulfils the conditions to consider this crime as Genocide. But due to geopolitical reasons,the burning question of recognition of this clearly evident and sufficiently documented Genocide has been largely overlooked by the International community so far.
After the pogrom of Pakistanis started on 25 March 1971 with their initiation of Operation Searchlight,the Genocide got going.Bangabandhu proclaimed independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of 26 March and Bengalis of Pakistan were a new Nation henceforth.But most of newly proclaimed Bangladesh,barring several Muktanchals,was under the occupation of Pakistani army.
Bangladesh got engaged in a protracted War of Liberation,the Muktijuddho. Simultaneously, genocidal offences were committed by Pak army and their collaborators all the time during the nine months of Muktijuddho on daily and hourly basis. The target of the genocide,had to flee from their homes and businesses to save whatever possible of their lives,properties and chastity. They either ended up in shanties of refugee camps inside Indian territories or remained internally displaced living with relatives in remote villages.Sometimes these unfortunates even were robbed off,tortured and tormented by Pak collaborators on their way to safety. Some were killed,some others died of hunger and fatigue.
Chuknagar was a remote village bazar in Dumuria of Khulna district. In those trying days,it became an important transit point of a refugee trail to India. It was close to the Indian border on the bank of Bhodra river. People from south western part of occupied Bangladesh(Khulna,Bagerhat Jessore,Barisal,Faridpur districts)found out an escape route to refugee camps in India via Chuknagar. They came by boats,on foot and indigenous vehicles like bullock carts and after taking some rest and food in the vicinity of Chuknagar,proceeded further. It was an endless stream of poor human beings trying to escape Pakistani genocide. The night of 19 May was no different from the previous nights. From 19th evening till the 20th morning an estimated number of 10 to 12 thousand men,women and children had taken refuge in schools,temples,mosques and in the houses of villagers in and around Chuknagar. Those who could not,spent the night and morning in the open paddy fields and whatever free space was available around. Some were grabbing a nap,some others preparing a simple meal of boiled rice and veggies before taking to the road to safety. The last lap was ahead. Unfortunately they were not as lucky as the ones who left the previous morning.
By about 10 o’clock in the morning,three truckloads of Pakistani soldiers and some of their Bihari and Bengali collaborators appeared at Chuknagar bazar. There were about 30 soldiers in the group armed with light machine guns and automatic rifles. Most of their associate local collaborators had their faces covered so that they could not be identified easily. Reportedly they were Bihari goons and Bengali Muslim League activists from Khulna. The genociders went into action immediately. They started firing at all directions towards the poor human beings who were scattered all around and getting ready to proceed further towards the Indian border. The first victim was reportedly a local farmer Chikan Ali Morol,who tried to protest against the firing at the innocent crowd. A volley of bullets pierced his body and silenced his protest. The soldiers did not face any further impediment.Their killing spree went unabated. The refuge seekers were attacked with automatic firearms and they fell dead and fatally injured wherever they were. After the killings were over,dead bodies were seen in the open paddy fields,in the front/back yards of local villagers,in the premises of school,mosques,temples, in the waters and on the boats in Bhodra river. There was no chance for anyone to survive. The soldiers chased the younger and stronger males who tried to flee running and shot them from the back. The boatloads of people that tried to escape the firing by rowing away could not go far before being traced and fired at. Some tried to swim to safety but could not escape the snipers. Many injured persons bled and succumbed to their injuries. The carnage continued for about five hours and an estimated 10 to12 thousand poor refugees were reported to have been killed in Chuknagar on the ill fated day. No genocide has ever been recorded in history that had the toll of such a high numbers in so short a time. The barbarism with which the Pak genociders executed Chuknagar mass killing is impossible to express in words. The water of Bhodra river turned red with human blood. Corpses were lying everywhere around and also floated in the river. The butchers left in the late afternoon and then the local people came out to render whatever help they could. There was not much scope to save lives as almost everyone were already killed. In the next couple of days the locals had to dispose off the corpses. Some were buried in mass graves while others were dumped in Bhodra river. The Chuknagar refugee trail was mostly followed by the poorer section of south western Bangladesh. The near and dear ones of the victims either were dead or did not have the means to come back to Chuknagar after seven months of the incident,when Bangladesh was free of the occupation army. A part of them may have stayed back in India as they were feeling helpless after the shock and trauma that they have suffered. Slowly,with time,this tragic massacre went into oblivion. A few local organisations and sensible individuals kept the memory of the mass killing alive. Prof Shafiqul Islam led that group and they had been trying to draw the attention of Bangladesh government and fellow countrymen to the pathetic event. The world has not known about the massacre and has ignored this genocidal atrocity in particular and the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide as a whole. Pakistani genocidal actions are well documented in the newspapers and periodicals of the world,in Blood Telegrams,in Senator Kennedy ‘s report to US lawmakers,in the Testimony of Sixty published by Oxfam in October 1971 and in the report of an inquiry made by International Union of Jurists,among others. But the world has so far failed to recognise the Genocide which is contradictory to the pledge made by the world conscience and world bodies of Never Again to Genocides.If a Genocide goes unaccounted for and unpunished,it paves the way for other Genocidal actions. It also betrays the right to Justice of the Genocide victims.
While remembering the poor victims of Chuknagar massacre and paying tributes to them,we demand that the Bangladesh Government be more proactive in raising and achieving International recognition of Bangladesh genocide. Our Minister for Foreign Affairs has recently mentioned in a Press meet at National Press Club that the Government is contemplating to create a special cell to coordinate activities in this regard. The sooner the cell starts working,the better. We already have enough evidences to prove the Genocide. The organisations of Genocide scholars all over the world(IAGS,Lemkin Institute,Genocide Watch and ICSC)have been convinced and have recognised the Genocide. They also have called upon the UN and Nations of the world including Pakistan to come forward and accept the reality. The more our Intelligentsia, Civil Society,Diaspora,Progressive political and Student parties will get involved in this movement,the quicker the International recognition will come. The onus is on all of us and specially our Government.
