Pirojpur, a witness to Pak army's brutality

During the Liberation War, Pirojpur town saw horrible scenes of brutalities by Pakistan occupation army.

After entering Pirojpur town in late April in 1971, they started killing innocent people there.

Picking up people from the town and nearby areas with the help of their local collaborators, Pakistan army would bring them near the ghat (landing station) on the Baleshwar river and shot them dead. Then they would kick the bodies into the river.

“Almost every day, Pakistani army would kill people at Baleshwar ghat,” said Ratan Halder, 65, from Hoglabunia village under Morrelganj upazila in Bagerhat.

He witnesses the massacres on the Baleshwar river several times when he came to Pirojpur town.

“At times the Pakistan army shot the captives dead. Sometimes they killed people by slitting throats or piercing them with bayonet,” said Ratan, who still feels scared to remember the gory scenes.

“Stink spread from water as dead bodies floated on the river and connected canals,” he said.

Al Helal, 35, a resident of Pirojpur town, said, “We came to know about the massacre of Pakistani army in Pirojpur during the Liberation War from elderly people.”

The killing spot is now a preserved place.

“The memorable spots related with our Liberation War must be preserved to inform the next generation about the supreme sacrifices of the freedom loving people,” he said. 

The Pakistan army also committed massacres with the help of their collaborators at several other spots in the district.       

“During the Liberation War, I was outside Pirojpur. But we heard about the barbarities of Pakistan army in the then sub-divisional town,” said MA Rabbani Firoj, deputy commander of Pirojpur Muktijoddha Sangsad.