Chuknagar Genocide Day observed

Chuknagar Genocide Day was observed yesterday with due solemnity and respect, as various government and non-government organisations paid their tributes to the victims.

Attendees also demanded international recognition of the massacre.

On this day in 1971, the Pakistan occupation forces mercilessly killed at least ten thousand people, predominantly from the minority community. The army employed light machine guns and semi-automatic rifles, spraying bullets and causing instant fatalities within a matter of hours.

The victims of this horrific massacre hailed from Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jessore, and Gopalganj districts. They had gathered at Chuknagar, situated in the Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, with the intention of seeking refuge in India through any available border route.

Chuknagar, located 32km from Khulna city, is a market area that serves as a transit point for Khulna, Satkhira, and Jashore districts. The Bhadra river flows alongside the market, and due to its proximity, many Hindus utilised it as a means of escape to India.

Yesterday, the commemorative event began with the hoisting of the national flag at the Chuknagar Massacre-71 memorial. Subsequently, wreaths were placed by the Chuknagar Genocide-71 Remembrance Parishad, Amra Ekattor-Dhaka, Khulna District Administration, and Khulna District and Metropolitan Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Parishad, Dumuria.

They also released red flowers into the water as a gesture for the victims whose bodies were dumped into the Bhadra river.

Later, a discussion was held at Chuknagar Degree College premises, with former minister Narayan Chandra Chand attended as the chief guest.

"With our collective efforts, it is possible to gain international recognition for this massacre," he stated.

Mahboob Zaman, chairperson of Aamra Ekattor, emphasised that the Chuknagar genocide stands as one of the most brutal and unprecedented massacres of the Liberation War.

"We are yet to receive recognition for this genocide. It is our collective responsibility to raise our voices and uncover both the local and international masterminds behind this atrocity," he added.

Other notable speakers at the event included Hilal Faizee, chief coordinator of Aamra Ekattor; Prof Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karjon, director of the Center for Genocide Studies at Dhaka University; and Pradip Kumar Dutta, a genocide researcher, along with children of the martyrs.