Echoes of 1971

Bangladesh, under the premiership of Tarique Rahman, seems to be charting on the right course, as per the initial indications. It also appears that the Prime Minister has set out his priorities well, particularly in his approach towards Pakistan. This naturally gives comfort to a large section of Bangladeshis who are pro-liberation and value Indo-Bangladesh relations, as well as India’s contribution to the freedom struggle.

Commemorating Genocide Day on March 25, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman described March 25, 1971, as one of the darkest and most brutal days in the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh. Significantly, he urged the nation to uphold the spirit of the Liberation War and remember the horrors of the March 25 genocide, calling for united efforts to build a just, democratic, and prosperous Bangladesh. He also stressed the need to pass on the history and true meaning of independence to future generations, urging them to strive to honour the sacrifices of the martyrs by upholding the spirit of the great Liberation War.

Importantly, he recalled that on the night of March 25, Pakistani occupation forces carried out one of the most heinous genocides under ‘Operation Searchlight’, targeting unarmed people across the country. The Prime Minister further reminded that the occupation forces indiscriminately opened fire on teachers, intellectuals, and innocent civilians at various places, including Dhaka University, Pilkhana, and Rajarbagh Police Lines, killing many, and he also described the genocide of March 25 as a pre-planned massacre. He questioned why this organised killing spree could not be resisted, which remains a matter of historical research regarding the visible role of the political leadership of that time. Further, he prayed for the salvation and eternal peace of the departed souls of the martyrs and wished success to all programmes organised to observe Genocide Day.

In this context, we see that prominent Bangladeshi newspapers have also reminded the nation about Genocide Day. “Daily Star”, a much-read newspaper, carried an opinion piece stating that in the post-1971 period, a significant amount of information about Pakistan-sponsored murders, assaults, rapes, and other atrocities has come to light. Much of it came from interviews, personal narratives, confessions, and individual experiences, rather than systematic, professional, or scientific research. I have written that around 30 lakh people were martyred in the Liberation War. While the precise figures may be debated, the scale of mass killings is beyond dispute. Estimates suggest there are around 5,000 small and large killing grounds across the country, many of which remain unaccounted for. Among these, approximately 1,200 killing sites and mass graves have been identified. The evidence gathered from these sites points clearly to the perpetrators responsible for the killing of lakhs of Bengalis. After independence, the government of Bangladesh announced that around two lakh women had been assaulted by Pakistani forces during the war.

Also, research conducted at Sweden’s Uppsala University revealed figures ranging from two to four lakh and concluded that most of the assaulted women were Muslims. Dr Geoffrey Davis, an Australian physician who worked in Bangladesh as part of an international humanitarian programme assisting women who had been raped during the Liberation War, estimated the number of rape victims at 450,000. Subsequently, research by a professional team in Bangladesh placed the figure at more than 467,000, noting that many Hindus as well as Muslim women had been excluded from earlier estimates.

According to the Bangladesh Documents published by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, between March and the end of May 1971, some 69.71 lakh Hindu refugees were registered in India. Many of those who fled during this period had been attacked during the brutal Operation Searchlight and were assaulted either by Pakistani forces or their collaborators in Bangladesh. Statistics indicate that 871,000 Hindu families fled to India during that time, including around 2,625,000 female refugees over the age of ten. If even one in ten of them were subjected to sexual violence, the number of victims among refugees alone would be 262,500. Even the most conservative estimates suggest that no fewer than two lakh Hindu women and girls never returned to Bangladesh, as rape was systematically used as a weapon of war and as the intent of the campaign was to target and eliminate Hindus in particular.

It is further commented that the Pakistan Army committed some 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide by killing, genocide by causing serious bodily or mental harm, genocide by deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, and genocidal rape.

From Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s condemnation of the genocide that occurred 55 years ago, and his detailed articulation of the events while reminding the nation about the gravity of the occasion, it would appear that the new Bangladesh regime under Tarique Rahman wants to keep the spirit of the Liberation War alive. Contrary to the opinion of a section in Bangladesh, the leadership does not appear inclined to forget the sacrifices and the indiscriminate killings by Pakistan’s occupation forces during the liberation struggle.

Similarly, the press and public opinion also want the people not to forget the massacre. More importantly, such utterances and views carried in the mainstream media will place the factual history in the right and objective perspective, keeping the present generation well informed. This appears to be a welcome development, putting Pakistan under pressure, as it was perhaps under the illusion that the post-Hasina regime might forget the genocide and the excesses committed against Bangladeshis, and that the issue would lie buried. Such expectations have now been belied.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is a retired IPS officer, Adviser NatStrat, and a former National Security Advisor in Mauritius