The Jathibhanga massacre ( bn, জাঠিভাঙ্গা গণহত্যা) was a massacre of the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

& Rajbanshi population in Jathibhanga,

Thakurgaon District Thakurgaon ( bn, ঠাকুরগাঁও জেলা, ''Thakurgaon Jela'' also ''Thakurgaon Zila'') is a district in the north-western side of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division and borders India to the west. It was established ...

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

) on 23 April 1971. It was perpetrated by the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

in collaboration with the Razakars as part of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. The collaborators included members from Jamaat-e-Islami,

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

and

Pakistan Democratic Party The Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) was a political party in Pakistan, founded by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan in June 1967. Nawbzada Nasrullah Khan led the party until his death in 2003. After Nawab's death, the party's leadership was later taken ...

. The victims of the massacre were all Hindus. It is estimated that more than 3,000

Bengali Hindus Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Beng ...

were killed in the massacre within a few hours.

Events

On the early morning of 23 April, the Hindus from the twelve villages of Jagannathpur, Chakhaldi, Singia, Chandipur, Alampur, Basudebpur, Gauripur, Milanpur, Khamarbhopla and Sukhanpokhari set out for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. On their way, thousands of them gathered at a place called Jathibhanga for the onward journey. Soon after their arrival, the local collaborator blocked their exit routes out of Jathibhanga and informed the Pakistani Army. The Hindu men were led in a procession towards the Jathibhanga grounds. The Pakistani army who had by then arrived in two military trucks, forced the fleeing Hindus to stand in lines and

burst fire In automatic firearms, burst mode or burst-fire is a firing mode enabling the shooter to fire a predetermined number of rounds, usually two or three rounds on hand held weapons and 50-100+ on anti-aircraft weapons and autocannons, with a single ...

d them using machine guns. The killing spree started in the morning and went on till afternoon. After the military left, the collaborators moved the corpses to near the Pathraj river and covered them with earth. The estimated casualty varies between 3,000 and 3,500. However, it is generally accepted that more than 3,000 people died in the massacre. An estimated 300 to 500 women were widowed.

Memorial

In 2009, the Bangladesh government constructed a memorial at the site of the mass killing. In 2011, the survivors and the victims of the massacre brought out a mourning rally to commemorate the dead, followed by a condolence meeting. The speakers at the meeting demanded trial of the war criminals. In August, 2011, The Bangladesh government granted one time compensation of BDT 2,000 to 89 widows. Touhidul Islam, the

Upazila Nirbahi Officer An Upazila Nirbahi Officer ( Abbreviation: UNO; bn, উপজেলা নির্বাহী অফিসার) is the chief executive officer of an upazila (subdistrict) and a mid-level officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service (administratio ...

Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Thakurgaon Sadar ( bn, ঠাকুরগাঁও সদর) is an upazila of Thakurgaon District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. Geography Thakurgaon Sadar is located at . It has 79823 households and total area 683.46 km2. Demogr ...

stated five hundred widows of Jathibhanga village would be brought under this scheme phase by phase.

References

{{1971 Bangladesh genocide, state=expanded 1971 in Bangladesh Massacres in 1971 1971 Bangladesh genocide Massacres of Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan Massacres of men Thakurgaon District Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan April 1971 events in Bangladesh Violence against men in Asia