Dhaka, March 25 (IANS) The night of March 25, 1971 - etched in the nation's history as the 'Black Night' - remains a painful reminder of the brutal crackdown by Pakistani forces, a report highlighted as Bangladesh observes 'Genocide Day' on Wednesday.

The massacre began when the Pakistan military launched 'Operation Searchlight' on unarmed Bangladeshis – marking the beginning of one of the darkest nights in Bangladesh's history.

"As darkness fell, tanks rolled through the streets while troops opened fire indiscriminately. Key locations such as Dhaka University, Pilkhana, Rajarbagh Police Lines, and Hindu-dominated areas of Old Dhaka were attacked in coordinated strikes. Students and teachers were among those killed in large numbers, with university dormitories turning into scenes of mass killings," a report in Bangladesh’s leading newspaper 'The Daily Star' detailed.

“The planned offensive aimed to crush the Bengalee nationalist movement following the election victory of the Awami League in 1970. It soon spread to other parts of the then East Pakistan, targeting civilians, students, intellectuals, and members of the security forces,” it added.

Citing eyewitness accounts and historical research, the report indicated that thousands of unarmed civilians were killed in a single night, with homes set ablaze and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.

The magnitude and brutality of the violence sent shockwaves across the world.

On the night of March 25, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of Awami League and face of the independence movement, was taken into custody by the Pakistani forces. He was subsequently moved to West Pakistan, where he was held in prison for nine months.

Emphasising that the violent incidents triggered the Bangladesh Liberation War, the report said, "The events of March 25 are widely regarded as the beginning of the 1971 genocide, which ignited the nine-month Liberation War. Bangladesh was ultimately liberated on December 16, 1971, when Pakistani forces surrendered to the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces at the Race Course Maidan, now called Suhrawardy Udyan.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman described the events of March 25, 1971, as a “pre-planned massacre” and one of the most brutal chapters in the nation’s history.

“March 25, 1971, is observed as Genocide Day. On the occasion of Genocide Day, I pay my deepest respect to all the martyrs. In the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh, March 25, 1971, remains one of the most disgraceful and brutal days,” read a statement issued by Tarique Rahman on Genocide Day.

The PM said that the Pakistani occupation forces launched one of the most "heinous" genocides in history against the unarmed Bangladeshis on that night under Operation Searchlight.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin said that March 25, 1971, remains the most brutal and painful chapter in the nation’s history, when the entire nation was left speechless and stunned by this genocide.

According to the local media reports, Shahabuddin called on people of Bangladesh, irrespective of religion, caste, party or opinion, to work together with a spirit of patriotism to fulfil the ideals and aspirations of the martyrs of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

--IANS

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