The 1971 Dhaka University Massacre: A Chronicle of Tragedy

In the early hours of March 25, 1971, the corridors of Dhaka University in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) witnessed an unprecedented horror. The Pakistan Army, under the command of Tikka Khan and on orders from President Yahya Khan, launched an assault as part of Operation Searchlight. This brutal campaign aimed to crush the burgeoning Bengali nationalist movement and would mark the bloody onset of the Bangladesh War of Independence. The attack on Dhaka University, the deadliest assault on a university in recorded history, claimed the lives of students and faculty alike, leaving an indelible scar on the nation's consciousness.

The Prelude to Violence

The seeds of this atrocity were sown months earlier. In the December 1970 Pakistan parliamentary elections, the Bengali Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a decisive majority, capturing 167 out of 313 seats. This victory fueled the expectation of a swift transfer of power to the Awami League. However, on February 28, 1971, faced with pressure from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), President Yahya Khan postponed the national assembly session scheduled for March. This political maneuvering was intended to undermine Mujibur Rahman's influence.

In response, the Awami League initiated a non-cooperation movement, effectively limiting the Pakistani government's authority to military cantonments and official institutions in East Pakistan. The tension escalated to frequent clashes between Bengalis and the Pakistan Army, as well as between Bengalis and the Bihari minority, who supported West Pakistan.

The Spark of Operation Searchlight

Amidst this chaos, the Pakistani government used the massacre of over 300 Biharis by Bengali mobs in Chittagong as a pretext for military intervention. On March 25, 1971, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight, targeting key locations in Dhaka, including Dhaka University.

The Assault on Dhaka University

The army's convoy, comprising the 18th Punjab Regiment, 22nd Frontier Force, and 32nd Punjab regiments, was armed with tanks, automatic rifles, rocket launchers, heavy mortars, and light machine guns. They encircled the university from all directions, commencing a horrific onslaught. Ten faculty members, including Professor Fajllur Rahman, were killed at the onset of the operation.

Rahman's wife survived only because she was abroad. Anwar Pasha and Rashidul Hassan narrowly escaped by hiding under their beds, but were later killed by the Al-Badr militia. Rafiqul Islam from the Bangla Literature Department survived due to the army's mistaken assumption that another group had already committed the massacre at his location.

The Targeting of Intellectuals

The military's brutality extended beyond professors to students and staff. At Jagannath Hall, a dormitory for Hindu students, the army slaughtered around 34 students. The attack also claimed the lives of university staff such as Shirajul Huq, Ali Hossain, and Abdul Majid. The Pakistan Army's reign of terror included the destruction of three temples and the murder of at least 85 people at the Ramna Kali Temple.

The Horror at Rokeya Hall

The women's dormitory, Rokeya Hall, was not spared. Archer Blood, the US Consul General in Dhaka, documented the terror as the military set the building ablaze, firing upon students as they attempted to flee. In a separate incident, on October 7, 1971, Major Aslam and his soldiers raided Rokeya Hall, brutally assaulting and raping the students. The Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, reported these heinous acts despite strict military censorship.

Academic Life Amidst War

Despite these atrocities, academic activities at Dhaka University persisted, albeit under duress. Tikka Khan ordered the resumption of classes by August 2, 1971, although the ongoing conflict meant many students had joined the Mukti Bahini, the liberation forces. The army's attempts to arrest pro-independence teachers were largely unsuccessful as resistance activities continued unabated.

The Intellectual Purge

In December 1971, as defeat loomed for the Pakistan government, they orchestrated a gruesome plan to eliminate Bengali intellectuals. On December 14, Al-Badr militia members abducted more than 200 intellectuals, including professors, journalists, and doctors, executing them in hidden locations throughout Dhaka. This massacre, known as the 1971 Killing of Bengali Intellectuals, is commemorated annually in Bangladesh as Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibosh, or the Day of the Martyred Intellectual.

The 1971 Dhaka University massacre remains a haunting chapter in history, a testament to the devastating consequences of political oppression and ethnic cleansing. Through the resilience of its people, Bangladesh emerged from the ashes of this brutal conflict to forge a new path of independence and sovereignty.

Sources

For more detailed information, you can visit the original Wikipedia article.