One of the largest single-day massacres of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, killing up to 3,500 Hindu civilians in Thakurgaon District within hours.
Key Facts
- Date
- 23 April 1971
- Estimated victims
- 3,000–3,500 people
- Victim community
- Bengali and Rajbanshi Hindus
- Perpetrators
- Pakistani Army and Razakar collaborators
- Collaborating parties
- Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League, Pakistan Democratic Party
- Duration
- A few hours
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the Pakistani military launched a campaign of mass violence against Bengali civilians, particularly targeting Hindu communities. Paramilitary collaborators known as Razakars, drawn from Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim League, and the Pakistan Democratic Party, aided the army in identifying and rounding up victims.
On 23 April 1971, Pakistani Army forces, assisted by Razakar collaborators, killed between 3,000 and 3,500 Bengali and Rajbanshi Hindu civilians in Jathibhanga, Thakurgaon District, East Pakistan. The killings were carried out within a matter of hours and formed part of the broader 1971 Bangladesh genocide.
The massacre became one of the most lethal documented atrocities of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, contributing to the mass displacement of Hindu communities from the region. It stands among the events that have been cited in discussions of accountability for war crimes committed during the conflict that led to Bangladesh's independence.