Khulna massacre 1964 [Khulna, Bangladesh]

[REPORTED AS SEEN]

Abdus Sabur Khan, the Communications Minister of Pakistan, had forcibly occupied 30 bighas of land from one Rupchand Biswas, a Hindu landowner from Matikhali in 1960 and erected a three-storeyed building in it. Rupchand Biswas instituted a case against Khan which the latter lost. The court decreed Abdus Sabur Khan to pay 135,000 rupees. He approached Biswas for an out of the court settlement which he refused. In the meanwhile, Majid Mian, the nominee of Abdus Sabur Khan lost in the district council elections. After the loss, Khan and his party members including the Chairman of Chamkuri Union Board held the Hindus responsible for the defeat and began to threaten them with dire consequences. During this time the Hazratbal incident took place. Khan used the opportunity to teach the Hindus a lesson.

On 2 January 1964, the Hindus were not allowed to wear shoes, use umbrellas or ride a rickshaw as a mark of mourning for the loss of relic. In the afternoon, processions in Khulna mourning the loss of relic, went around the town shouting “Kill the Hindus”. At around 4 pm, attacks on Hindus started. After 4 hours of mayhem, curfew was imposed in Khulna at 8 pm. 3 January was declared as “Kashmir Day” by the Pakistan Convention Muslim League. A general strike was declared in Khulna. Abdus Sabur Khan addressed a huge gathering at Daulatpur industrial area in the outskirts of Khulna. Thousands of Muslims, mostly Biharis, armed with deadly weapons assembled at Daulatpur to listen to Khan. Khan delivered a rabidly anti-Hindu and anti-India speech, where he described the Hazratbal incident as a Hindu conspiracy. Immediately after the meeting, a 20,000 strong Muslim crowd spread out in the neighbouring localities of Senhati, Maheshwarpasha, Pabla, Chandani Mal and Daulatpur and began to loot Hindu properties and set them on fire. Many Hindus were killed or brutally assaulted. A section of the mob marched towards Khulna, disrupting rail and road traffic reaching the town at sunset. For the next four days an orgy of loot, arson, murder, rape and abduction continued in Khulna. The violence against the Hindus were led by the Muslim workers of Khulna Shipyard, Dada Co., Ispahani Co., and Kata Co. Soleman, the Chairman of Loppur Union supplied the attackers with firearms. About 200–300 Bengali Hindus were massacred at the Khulna Launch Ghat by Muslim marauders. All the villages along the road from Khulna to Chalna were destroyed. On 4 January, the violence spread to Mongla. An estimated 300 Hindus were either killed or injured at Mongla port.

Abdus Sabur Khan addressed three more meetings at Rampal. Leaflets were distributed, warning of terrible riots in Pakistan and annihilation of the Hindus. The Hindus were warned to leave Pakistan immediately. At Loppur Bazar, he addressed another gathering, where he said that he would make shoes out of Hindu skin, torn from their back. Once the violence escalated, Khan became occupied with the marriage of his niece. The marriage was attended by Abdul Moniem Khan, the Governor of East Pakistan, Kazi Abdul Kadar, member of National Assembly and former member of East Pakistan legislative assembly. Arabinda Bhattacharyya, a reputed pleader of Khulna, repeatedly rang Khan for taking necessary action, by every time he excused himself by citing his unavailability due his niece’s marriage.