Call made to recognise March 25 carnage as International Genocide Day

Freedom fighters and victims of the carnage perpetrated by Pakistani army on Mar 25, 1971 have demanded that the day be recognised as ‘International Genocide Day’.

The demand has been made in a bid to make the world aware of one of the most brutal and cruel chapters in the history of humankind.

Sector Commanders’ Forum of 1971 Liberation War, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, Muktijuddho-71 and other political, social and cultural organisations on Wednesday evening held various programmes to commemorate the ill-fated night.

Acting President of Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir said around 50 to 60,000 people, including students, teachers, doctors and intellectuals, were massacred only in Dhaka City on that dark night.

“It was the biggest ever carnage after World War Two. We are seeking justice for the crimes against humanity and demand that the day be declared International Genocide Day so that no other country ever faces such gruesome incident,” he said.

In the 1970 general elections, though the Awami League of East Pakistan secured majority, power was not handed over to it.

To quell the democratic aspirations of the Bengalis, the West Pakistan military junta chose the path of mass killings to quell their aspirations.

People light candles at the ‘Shaheed Bedi’ in memory of those killed by Pakistani army on the night of March 25, 1971, at Jagannath Hall on Tuesday. Photo: mustafiz mamun/ bdnews24.com

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee lights torches at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Wednesday night, demanding the observance of March 25 as `International Genocide Day'. Photo: mustafiz mamun/ bdnews24.com

On the night of Mar 25, 1971, they launched "Operation Searchlight", a brutal and barbaric military assault on an unsuspecting population to crush the Bengali movement for rights and justice that had turned to a fight for freedom in the face of persistent denials.

The Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was detained that night. But before he was picked up in the early hours of Mar 26, he had proclaimed independence.

After that, the Bengalis put up a strong resistance against the West Pakistanis, leading to a nine-month long painful struggle for freedom.

Nearly three million people, mostly Bengali civilians, died in these nine months, and more than a quarter of a million Bengali women were dishonoured.

People of various countries including India, Japan, Mexico had expressed their solidarity with the demand, Shahriar Kabir told bdnews24.com.

He called upon the Bangladesh government to take up the matter with the UNESCO, UNICEF or other similar bodies.

Kabir said in the absence of any such recognition, wrong message was being sent across western countries about the massacre in Bangladesh.

“Many western countries including the United States describe it as a forgotten genocide. Many are even describing it as a civil war. To dispel such misgivings, Bangladesh should take the initiative to get recognition for the horrific incident,” he said.

He was also of the view that there should be a research of international standards on the incident.

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee lights torches at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Wednesday night, demanding the observance of March 25 as `International Genocide Day'. Photo: mustafiz mamun/ bdnews24.com

People light candles at the ‘Shaheed Bedi’ in memory of those killed by Pakistani army on the night of March 25, 1971, at Jagannath Hall on Tuesday. Photo: mustafiz mamun/ bdnews24.com

Director of the Centre for Genocide Studies at Dhaka University Prof Imtiaz Ahmed said though there had been instances of genocides in various other parts of the world, the one unleashed in 1971 deserved a special mention in the world history.

This massacre of people who were demanding democracy and freedom would across a ‘unique message’, he observed.

He told bdnews24.com that there was a ‘fundamental difference’ between the genocide committed in Germany, Rwanda, Serbia and other parts of the world and the one let loose in Bangladesh.

“The other genocides were caused by ethnic, racial, linguistic and religious differences, whereas in Bangladesh it was carried out to suppress the democratic aspiration of the people.”

Ahmed said Pakistani rulers had thought if the numbers of people aspiring for democracy could be reduced through such mass murders, then the “desire expressed by the people through elections” could be muzzled.