52nd 'Chuknagar Genocide Day' observed in Khulna

The 52nd 'Chuknagar Genocide Day' was observed in Khulna on Saturday in a befitting manner through various programmes.

Khulna district administration and different socio-cultural organisations placed wreaths at the monument, a memorial built near Bhadra River in memory of '71 martyred', marking the day.

The day began by hoisting the national flag at the 'Chuknagar Ganohattya-71 Srimty Boddhyabhumi' under Dumuria upazila.

Afterwards, different organisations including Khulna District Administration, Chuknagar Ganohattya-71 Smrity Rakkha Parishad, Amra-71-Dhaka, Khulna Mahanagar Bangabandhu Parishad, Dumuria Upazila Muktijoddha Command, Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee and Jashore Udichi placed wreaths at 11 points of river Bhadra where Pakistani army left bodies of innocent Bengalis into the river after killing on that day in 1971.

A discussion was also held at the genocide memorial. President of Chuknagar Ganohattya -71 Smrity Rakkha Parishad ABM Shafiqul Islam presided over the meeting while Acting Principal of Chuknagar College Monirul Islam conducted it.

Parliament member Naryan Chandra Chanda addressed the meeting as chief guest while ex-MP Sohrab Ali Sana, Amra Ekattor Dhaka organization leaders Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karjon and Helal Foyezi and Dumuria Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sharif Asif Rahman, among others, addressed the meeting.

Speakers at the meeting urged the government to declare May 20 as National Mourning Day to pay respect to the victims of the Chuknagar massacre and trial of the war criminals at any cost.

They demanded to produce the evidence of the Chuknagar Genocide before the Geneva Convention for justice.

Later, a cultural function was arranged to pay respect to the martyrs of the War of Liberation in 1971.

On May 20, 1971, a few thousand men, women and children mostly belonging to minority communities were slain by the Pakistan occupation forces at Chuknagar.

The forces sprayed bullets on them from light machine guns and semi-automatic rifles killing them on the spot within a few hours. The victims of the massacre hailed from Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jashore and Gopalganj districts.

They had assembled at Chuknagar under the Dumuria upazila of Khulna district to flee to India through a nearby border route.