RANGPUR, Nov 13, 2019 (BSS) – The Pakistani occupation forces with their
local collaborators killed 697 innocent men, women, children and girls of
seven villages under Hatia union of Ulipur upazila in Kurigram at dawn on
November 13, 1971.
Since then, locals people remember the martyred innocent Bangalees in the
horrendous genocide at the union and pay rich tributes to them on November 13
every year in observance of the ‘Hatia Genocide Day’.
Talking to BSS, Chairman of Hatia union BM Abul Hossain said the heinous
crimes against humanity were committed on that day during the holy month of
Ramadan (23rd of Ramadan).
The occupation forces with local collaborators, razakars, al-badars and al-
shams killed 697 Bangalees of Anantapur, Ramkhana, Noyadara, Bagua,
Nilkanathya, Dagarkuthi and Hatia villages located by the side of the
Brahmaputra river.
“On false information from their local collaborators about presence of
freedom fighters in these villages, the occupation army surrounded those
villages when the Muslims were preparing to offer Fajr prayers after taking
‘Sehri’ as per religious ritual,” he said.
The occupation forces conducted door to door combing operations, caught 697
innocent Bangalees, set fire, looted properties and violated many women,
adolescents and girls in those villages, Abul Hossain added.
Former Kurigram district unit Commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad
Sirajul Islam Tuku narrated the barbaric genocide when the killers also burnt
many houses and tortured and violated women.
“The Pakistani occupation forces with their local collaborators conducted
the massacre on that dawn at Hatia union that was a safe place for freedom
fighters during the War of Liberation,” Tuku said.
Freedom fighter Aminul Islam Manju Mandal of Kurigram town said the
occupation forces took the captured Bangalees to Dagar Kuthi village on the
Brahmaputra riverbank, opened brass fire killing and injuring them just
before the ‘Fajr’ prayers.
“The barbaric genocide committed by the occupation forces in those seven
villages crossed all previous extent of atrocities carried out against
humanity in the world history,” Mandal said.
Freedom fighter Harun Ar Rashid Lal of Kurigram said local ‘Peace
Committee’ Chairman Babar Ali and collaborators Shahjahan, Syed Moulana,
Shamsher Ali assisted the Pakistani occupation forces in committing the
genocide.
Talking to BSS, survivors of Hatia massacre and relatives of the martyrs
said they are still afraid of the surviving local collaborators and razakars
who killed their loved ones in 1971 and did not face any trial so far.
Bullet-injured Babar Ali of the Hatia massacre said that his mother kept
him covered with her attired clothes in her lap. But, the aggressors kicked
his mother and shot at him.
“After taking treatments for a long time, I could survive, but still bear
the pain of the bullet in my body,” Ali said and demanded immediate trial of
the war criminals involved with the massacre.
Survivor Jahir Uddin said bodies were lying all-around there and the
killers charged bayonets to the injured to ensure their deaths when the
nature became silent observing the ridiculous atrocities committed against
humanity.
“As soon as common people came out of houses at cracking sounds of brass
fire from automatic machineguns, all of them were caught instantly by
standing occupation forces and their collaborators,” he said.
Local people placed wreaths and participated in a doa mahfil today to
recall memories of the Hatia massacre martyrs at the memorial monument built
at Anontapur Bazar in Hatia union.