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Updated article with clearer structure

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{{EngvarB|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Barguna massacre <br/>বরগুনা গণহত্যা
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| map = {{Location map|Bangladesh|lat=22.16|long=90.12|caption=}}
| map_caption =
| location = Barguna, Patuakhali district, Bangladesh
| target = [[Bengalis|Bengali]] (Hindus & muslims)
| coordinates =
| date = 29–30 May 1971
| time =
| timezone = UTC+6:00
| type =
| fatalities = More than 100
| injuries =
| perps = [[Pakistan Armed Forces]], [[East Pakistan Central Peace Committee|Peace Committee]]
| weapons = [[Firearm]]s
| numparts =
}}

The '''Barguna massacre''' ({{lang-bn|বরগুনা গণহত্যা}}) was the mass execution of unarmed residents of Barguna in the Barguna sub-divisional jail by the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] on 29 and 30 May 1971. More than 100 people were killed.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Barguna District |encyclopedia=Banglapedia|last=Kamal|first=Md. Monir Hossain|editor-last=Islam|editor-first=Sirajul|publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh|location=Dhaka|year=2012|edition=Revised 2nd.|url= http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Barguna_District|access-date=27 December 2022}}</ref> Seventy-two of them were identified; the majority were [[Bengali Hindus]], the rest Muslims, mostly supporters of the [[Bangladesh Awami League]] and sovereign [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="howladar15122013">{{cite news|url=http://www.mathbariaprotidin.com/2013/12/blog-post_8900.html|script-title=bn:বরগুনা জেলখানার গণহত্যায় নিহত শহীদদের স্বজনরা এখনও উপেক্ষিত|last=Howladar|first=Manotosh|date=15 December 2013|work=Mathbaria Protidin|language=bn|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002010000/http://www.mathbariaprotidin.com/2013/12/blog-post_8900.html|archive-date=2 October 2015|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2022}} In 1992, a memorial was constructed with a marble plaque containing the names of the 72 victims and six other victims killed elsewhere.<ref name="ab29052012">{{cite news|url=http://www.amaderbarisal.com/news/18369.aspx|script-title=bn:২৯ ও ৩০ মে বরগুনা গণহত্যা দিবস|last=Kamal|first=Monir Hossain|date=29 May 2012|work=amaderbarisal.com|language=bn|location=Barisal|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002054529/http://www.amaderbarisal.com/news/18369.aspx|archive-date=2 October 2015|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2022}}

== Background ==
In 1969, Patuakhali district was carved out of the erstwhile Bakerganj district.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://amardesh.com/zila_patuakhali.php|title=Patuakhali District Information|work=amardesh.com|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref> The Patuakhali district consisted of the Patuakhali Sadar and Barguna sub-division. On 25 April 1971, the [[Pakistan Armed Forces]] launched [[Operation Barisal]] to capture [[Barisal]]. On 26 April, they occupied the Patuakhali district town.<ref name="howladar15122013"/> [[Raja Nadir Pervez|Major Raja Nadir Pervez Khan]] of the [[Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)|6 Punjab Regiment]] was appointed as the Martial Law Administrator of Patuakhali district.

On 14 May, the Pakistan Armed Forces arrived at [[Barguna Sadar Upazila|Barguna]] in a [[gunboat]] and took control of the town.<ref name="bss29052014">{{cite news|url=http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=413288$date=2014-05-29&dateCurrent=2014-06-03|title=Barguna martyrs remembered|date=29 May 2014|publisher=Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103257/http://www.bssnews.net/newsDetails.php?cat=0&id=413288$date=2014-05-29&dateCurrent=2014-06-03|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref> On 15 May, they took captive some residents of [[Patharghata Upazila|Patharghata]] and brought them to Barguna. Some of the captives were killed on the banks of [[Bishkhali River|Bishkhali]] the rest were imprisoned in the Barguna sub-divisional jail. Lakshman Das, a noted [[Bengali Hindu]] businessman from [[Patharghata Upazila|Patharghata]] and his three sons were among the imprisoned.<ref name="ab29052012"/> The Pakistan Armed Forces then left for Patuakhali.<ref name="howladar15122013"/>

After the Pakistan Armed Forces left Barguna, the [[East Pakistan Central Peace Committee|Peace Committee]] members announced that the Hindus can come back to town. None of them except the caste Hindus would be killed.<ref name="tdj05042014">{{cite news|url=http://oldsite.dailyjanakantha.com/news_view.php?nc=51&dd=2014-04-05&ni=168984|script-title=bn:বরগুনার গণহত্যা ॥ শহীদ স্বজনদের যন্ত্রণা|last=Das|first=Shankar Lal|date=5 April 2014|work=The Daily Janakantha|language=bn|location=Dhaka|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223158/http://oldsite.dailyjanakantha.com/news_view.php?nc=51&dd=2014-04-05&ni=168984|archive-date=3 March 2016|access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2022}} After getting the assurance from the Peace Committee, many [[Bengali Hindus]] returned to their homes in Barguna. Service holders joined their office,<ref name="ab29052012"/> others opened their shops.<ref name="tdj05042014"/>

== Killings ==
[[Image:Nadir Pervez 1.JPG|left|thumb|Major Nadir Pervez (left)]]
On 26 May, a contingent of five soldiers led by Captain Shafayet secretly arrived from Patuakhali in a speedboat.<ref name="ab29052012"/> From the morning of 27 May, the Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators raided the Barguna town. It was raining incessantly from the morning and most of the residents stayed indoors. Being unaware of the raid they did not get a chance to flee the town.<ref name="howladar15122013"/> The raiders targeted the Hindu localities of Amtala, Karmakarpatti and Nathpatti.<ref name="tdj05042014"/> By the evening they arrested around 500 – 600 residents, tied them with ropes and took them to the Barguna sub-divisional jail.

The captive men and women were segregated in separate male and female wards. According to eyewitness accounts there were around 150 female captives.<ref name="howladar15122013"/> The Pakistani soldiers used to pick up women according to their choice. If anybody refused, she was kicked or beaten up with the rifle butts or sometimes shot dead.<ref name="howladar15122013"/> The women were then taken to an adjacent empty ward, where they were gang-raped by the soldiers throughout the night. Some women were sent to the C & B bungalow where the Pakistan Armed Forces and the Peace Committee members set up their temporary camp.<ref name="ab29052012"/> In the morning, the women were returned to the female ward of the prison. Some of the women were draped with red sarees to hide the blood stains resulting from rapes.<ref name="howladar15122013"/>

On 28 May, Major Nadir Pervez arrived in Barguna.<ref name="kk14072010">{{cite news|url=http://www.kalerkantho.com/print_edition/index.php?view=details&type=single&pub_no=224&cat_id=2&menu_id=20&news_type_id=1&index=1&archiev=yes&arch_date=14-07-2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141227184506/http://www.kalerkantho.com/print_edition/index.php?view=details&type=single&pub_no=224&cat_id=2&menu_id=20&news_type_id=1&index=1&archiev=yes&arch_date=14-07-2010|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2014|script-title=bn:যুদ্ধাপরাধ বিষয়ে বিব্রত পাকিস্তান এবং আমাদের কথা|last=Hasan|first=M. A.|date=14 July 2010|work=Kaler Kantho|language=bn|access-date=27 December 2014|location=Dhaka}}</ref> On 29 May, Major Pervez constituted a tribunal within the Barguna sub-divisional jail for the trial of the inmates and left for Patuakhali.<ref name="howladar15122013"/> The tribunal sentenced the Bengali Hindus and the Muslims who supported the idea of sovereign Bangladesh to death after a brief trial. When the first bell rang in the Barguna Zilla School adjacent to the jail, the Pakistani soldiers fired at their targets.<ref name="kk14072010"/> Lakshman Das and his son Arun Das were killed in the massacre.<ref name="ab29052012"/> Dr. Krishna Das, a popular doctor of Barguna did not die immediately after being shot. He tried to escape by crawling across the [[Water and Power Development Authority|WAPDA]] road, when his head was smashed by a spade.<ref name="ab29052012"/>

After the killings, Peace Committee members buried the dead in the south western region of the jail compound.<ref name="kk14072010"/> According to eyewitness accounts many women were denied the right to cremate their husbands.<ref name="howladar15122013"/>

According to Dr. M. A. Hasan, the Convener of War Crimes Facts Finding Committee, 55 persons were killed on the first day and 36 people were killed on the next day.<ref name="kk14072010"/> In other accounts the death toll is mentioned in hundreds.<ref name="howladar15122013"/>

== Aftermath ==
Many of the survivors were taken to Patuakhali and killed.<ref name="ab29052012"/> Later on many people were killed in the prison compound during the course of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref name="howladar15122013"/> According to Dr. M.A.Hasan thousands of innocent people were killed by the Pakistan Armed Forces in the Patharghata, Amtali, Betagi and Bamni areas of the sub-division.<ref name="kk14072010"/> However, no authentic data is available on the total numbers of deaths in the then Barguna sub-division or present day [[Barguna District]].<ref name="howladar15122013"/> The victims of the massacre has been officially recognised as martyrs of the Liberation War by the Bangladesh government.<ref name="howladar15122013"/>

== See also ==
* [[Bhimnali massacre]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{1971 Bangladesh genocide|state=expanded}}

{{Coord|22.1541|N|90.1265|E|region:BD_type:event|display=title}}

[[Category:Bangladesh Liberation War]]
[[Category:1971 in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:1971 in Pakistan]]
[[Category:1971 Bangladesh genocide]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1971]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan| ]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Muslims]]
[[Category:Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan]]
[[Category:May 1971 events in Asia]]

Barguna massacre - Revision history

CharlieEkz: Updated article with clearer structure

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