<i>Chuknagar 'genocide day' observed</i>
This memorial, built in honour of the massacre victims at Chuknagar in Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, shows signs of utter neglect. Photo: Star
Thirty-ninth Chuknagar 'genocide day' was observed here yesterday. On this day in 1971, a few thousand men, women and children mostly belonging to minority community were slain by the Pakistan occupation forces. The forces sprayed bullets on them from light machine guns and semi-automatic rifles killing them on the spot within hours. The victims of the massacre hailed from Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jessore and Gopalganj districts. They had assembled at Chuknagar under Dumuria upazila of Khulna district to flee to India through any available border route. The Principal of Chuknagar College and President of Ganohatya '71 Smriti Rakkha Parishad ABM Shafiqul Islam yesterday told the chief prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal (IWCT) that he had witnessed the massacre committed by Pakistan occupation forces on May 20 in 1971. “That must be the biggest genocide in world history as Pakistan forces killed thousands in a few minutes on that day”. “Only 1500 people died in the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam. But during Chuknagar massacre over 10,000 people were killed in the twinkling of an eye”, he said. To observe the day, Ganohatya '71 Smirity Rakkha Parishad organized a commemorative meeting yesterday at Chuknagar College ground with principal ABM Shafiqul Islam in the chair. State minister for Labour and Employment Begum Mannujan Sufian was present at the function as chief guest. Lawmaker Noor Afroze Ali, Dumuria upazila chairman Sheikh Abdul Hadi and UNO Sakhawat Hossain addressed the meeting as special guests. The state minister said in her speech that government is determined to try war criminals at any cost. Speakers at the meeting urged the government to declare May 20 as National Mourning Day to show respect to the victims of Chuknagar massacre. Meanwhile, the members of war crime tribunal visited three major spots of massacre in Khulna yesterday. The chief prosecutor of the IWCT, Golam Arif Tipu, said his team had recorded statement of 24 eye-witnesses to massacre at Chuknagar and other places in the district.
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