Date 20 May 1971 (UTC+6:00) Deaths 8,000–10,000 | Target Mostly Bengali Hindus | |
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Location Chuknagar, Khulna, Bangladesh Attack type Burst fire, mass murder, massacre Weapons Light machine guns, semi-automatic rifles | ||
Chuknagar massacre (Bengali: চুকনগর হত্যাকান্ড) was a massacre committed by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The massacre took place on 20 May 1971 at Dumuria in Khulna and it was one of the largest massacres during the war. The exact number of persons killed in the massacre is not known, but is thought to be in the thousands based on witness reports. The majority of people killed in the massacre were men, although an unknown number of women and children were murdered as well.
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Massacre
Chuknagar is a small town at Dumuria of Khulna, adjacent to the Indian border. After the start of the war many people fled from Khulna and Bagerhat. They crossed Bhodra River and arrived at Chuknagar to cross the border using Satkhira Road. By 15 May 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 10-30 Pakistani military personnel equipped with semiautomatic rifles and light machine gun 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.
Many people drowned as they jumped into the river in a largely futile attempt to flee the carnage. Local people, mainly Muslims, later disposed of the dead bodies simply by throwing them into a river.
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.