One of the largest massacres in a day in world history

Today is May 20, the historic Chuknagar Genocide Day. During the liberation war, on this fateful day in 1971, the Pakistani occupying army killed more than 12,000 innocent people including women and children at different places of Chuknagar.

Reviewing the history of genocide in the world, it has been found that the Chulnagar Genocide is one of the biggest single day massacres in the world. In a very few cases, so many people were killed together in such a short time. Thousands of people who thronged at Chuknagar to cross the border to go to India were killed by the Pakistani army.

On this day in 1971, the barbaric Pakistani Army and their local collaborators indiscriminately killed 12,000 people in just 3/4 hours.

Chuknagar is an important market under Dumuria police station in Khulna. Located at the junction of three districts – Jashore, Khulna and Satkhira – Chuknagar played and still plays a significant role in local business.

The Patokhola lake, Badamatal intersection, Battala, and Raipara areas are adjacent to Chuknagar market. Bhadra River flows by Raipara. Although this river is almost dead today, this Bhadra in 1971 was a turbulent river.

Talking to the local people revealed some shocking information about the May 20 genocide.

Locals said that since May 18, 1971, thousands of people who were fed up with the atrocities of the Pakistani army began to gather in the areas around Chuknagar. They came by boat on the river and on foot through the roads. Their purpose was to migrate to India. Around one lakh people gathered at nearby villages including Chuknagar coming from Bagerhat, Rampal, Moralganj, Kachua, Sarankhola, Mongla, Dakop, Batiaghata, Chalan, Faridpur, Rajbari, Gopalganj and other regions of Greater Khulna.

After leaving their homes by various means, these homeless people took shelter in Chuknagar's Tantipara, Malopara, Raipara, Maltia, Putimari, Patokhola lake, Chuknagar Temple, Rostampur, and nearby countryside by the night of May 19. There was no more place left for sheltering more people. The destination of these helpless people is to go safely to India through Jashore and Satkhira border. Around one lakh people gather in Chuknagar market and its surrounding countryside.

These refugees started their journey towards India from the morning of May 20. Some left early in the morning. Others intended to leave after breakfast. That's why everyone was preparing for cooking.

Just at that moment, three jeeps of the Pakistani army came to Jhowtla at Maltia intersection on the Chuknagar-Satkhira road and stopped suddenly. An old man named Chikon Moral (70) was working in a jute field beside the road. When he stood up hearing the sound of the jeep, he was shot dead on the spot. And thus, the Chuknagar Genocide, the mayhem orchestrated by an army began.

The day was Thursday. It was around 11:00am. Then Pak army came to Chuknagar market. The shooting started. The air became heavy with the sound of gunshots and the screams of men and women gathered there. There was the sound of crying all around. People were rushing and running not knowing where to go, where to find a refuge.

Then everything suddenly became silent; there were only corpses and corpses all around. On that day, Pakistani cannibals entered Chuknagar market, temples and neighboring areas and killed innocent people mercilessly. No one was spared by them hiding somewhere.

Chuknagar turned into a locality of the dead that day. This riot of Pakistanis lasted for 3/4 hours. In this short time, this barbaric army had indulged in killing people indiscriminately, not sparing even the women, children and elderly people. There is no idea how many innocent children died on that fateful day being trampled under the feet of people, screaming and running towards every direction.

Many eyewitnesses said that there were many children sitting and crying helplessly after losing their mother. Many children were trying to drink milk riding on the breast of their dead mother. They did not even realize that their mothers were not alive anymore. The dead body of the child in the arms of the dead mother, such heart-rending scenes were seen everywhere.

They said that there was a fleet of dead bodies on the Bhadra River, which flows by the side of Chuknagar. There was a stream of fresh blood darkly reddened the colour of the river water. Stream of blood flowed on the roads of Chuknagar market also. There was no place left to step; only corpses and corpses in the alleys of Chuknagar Bazar.

After the brutal massacre by the Pakistani army, Chuknagar market was occupied by vultures and dogs. Vultures and dogs dragged many dead people. The common people of the area buried some bodies in different places, some bodies floated on the river.

This tragic scene will never be forgotten. People will remember this genocide for hundreds of years. There is no accurate count of how many people died in Chuknagar on that day.

The elderly people of Chuknagar assume that there were more than 10,000 bodies on the river Bhadra. In addition, they said, several thousands of people were buried locally. There is no precedent for killing so many people at one place in such a short period of time.

This day is a terrible and memorable day not only for Chuknagar but for the entire country. The Chuknagar Genocide is an unforgettable day in the history of freedom struggle of the people of the country.

The demand of the common people of the area is to build a freedom fighter museum, a freedom fighter library and a hospital in memory of the thousands of unknown martyrs of Chuknagar Genocide.