Jinjira_massacre

Jinjira massacre

Jinjira massacre

1971 mass killing of civilians by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War


The Jinjira massacre (Bengali: জিঞ্জিরা গণহত্যা, romanized: Jiñjirā gaṇahatyā) was a planned killing of civilians by the Pakistan army during the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971.

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The killing took place at the unions Jinjira, Kalindi and Shubhadya of Keraniganj Upazila across the Buriganga River from Dhaka.[1]

Background

The 1971 Bangladesh atrocities began as the Pakistan army launched Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971 to suppress the Bengali uprising in then East Pakistan. As a reaction, people from Dhaka flocked to Keraniganj on the other side of the river. The union Jinjira and nearby areas were inhabited by a large number of Hindu families.[1] The elements of Pakistan army, now in control of Dhaka city after the crackdown of 25 March marked Jinjira and surrounding area as a target for military operation.

Massacre

The army started to amass forces around Keraniganj from midnight of 1 April.[2] They took control of the Mitford Hospital by the river. At around 5 am, they commenced the attack by throwing flares from the roof of the mosque adjacent to the hospital.[1] The army moved into Jinjira and opened fire on people. The massacre continued for nearly nine hours. One of the largest such executions took place beside a pond near Nandail Dak Street, where 60 people were lined up and shot. The soldiers also fired on the houses using gunpowder.[2] More than a thousand people died in this massacre.[3]

Cover-up in the Pakistani media

In the night of 2 April Pakistan Television broadcast news about strong military action against separatist miscreants taking shelter at Jinjira of Keraniganj on the other side of Buriganga.[1] On 3 April The Morning News came up with the headline "Actions taken against miscreants at Jinjira".[4]

See also


References

  1. Atmokotha 1971 (My story 1971) by Nirmalendu Gun, Bangla Prokash, 2008 (page 147)
  2. Swadhinota Juddher Dolilpatra the 8th edition (Page 376-378)
  3. The Daily Bangla, 13 November 1972
  4. Ekatturer Dinguli (Days of 71) by Jahanara Imam, Shandhani publications, 2005 (page 56)


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