Chuknagar massacre

Chuknagar massacre (চুকনগর গণহত্যা) was a massacre committed by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The massacre took place on 20 May 1971 at Dumuria in Khulna and it was one of the largest massacres during the war.

Massacre
Chuknagar is a small town at Dumuria of Khulna, adjacent to the Indian border. After the start of the war many people fled from Khulna and Bagerhat. They crossed Bhodra River and arrived at Chuknagar to cross the border using Satkhira Road. By 15 May, 1971 hordes of refugees from nearby localities gathered at Chuknagar as rumor broke out about impending Pakistani attack. On 20 May, around 10 a.m., a group of 14-15 Pakistani military personnel (probably a platoon) equipped with semi automatic rifle and light machine gun came on one (or two) truck(s). They stopped at a place called Jhautala (then known as Pathkhola) at the left corner of the Chuknagar Bazaar. Then they opened fire on the Pathkhola grounds and later moved to Chuknagar Bazaar and continued firing until 3p.m.

There was no exact evidence of how many people had died at Chuknagar. Eye witnesses estimated the number to be between 8 to 10,000. Many people drowned as they jumped into the river. The Pakistani soldiers threw many dead bodies into the river and later local people were forced to do the same with the remaining bodies.

Memorial
A memorial was built to pay homage to the people who died in the massacre. The memorial is called Chuknagar Shohid Smritishoudho or Chuknagar martyred memorial.