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{{Short description|Massacre in 1971 in Bangladesh}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Golahat massacre<br/>গোলাহাট গণহত্যা
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| map = {{Location map|Bangladesh|lat=25.80|long=88.88|caption=}}
| map_caption =
| location = [[Golahat]], [[Nilphamari]], [[Bangladesh]]
| target = Hindus
| coordinates = {{coord|25|48|21|N|88|52|58|E|region:BD_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| date = 13 June 1971
| time = 10 a.m.
| timezone = UTC+6:00
| type = [[Mass murder]], [[Massacre]]
| fatalities = 437
| injuries =
| perps = [[Bihari Muslims]], [[Pakistani Army]]
| weapons = ''[[Ram-dao]]''s, [[Bayonet]]s
| numparts =
}}

The '''Golahat massacre''' ({{lang-bn|গোলাহাট গণহত্যা}}) was a massacre of the emigrating Hindus merchants and businessmen of [[Marwaris|Marwari]] ethnicity of [[Saidpur, Bangladesh|Saidpur]] on 13 June 1971, by the Urdu-speaking people of the area who had collaborated with the Pakistan army.<ref name="jasim">{{cite news |script-title=bn:সৈয়দপুরে আজ গোলাহাট গণহত্যা দিবস |first=Jasim |last=Uddin |url=http://www.bdreport24.com/archives/27176 |publisher=bdreport24.com |date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=January 26, 2022}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2022}}<ref name="islam">{{cite news |last=Islam |first=Mamun |date=December 5, 2011 |script-title=bn:গোলাহাটের নৃশংসতম গণহত্যা : যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের বিচারের আশায় ৪৩৭ শহীদের স্বজনরা |trans-title=Golahat genocide: the hope that the war crimes trial of 437 relatives of martyrs |url=http://www.bssnews.net/bangla/newsDetails.php?cat=4&id=106935&date=2011-12-05 |newspaper=Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha |access-date=February 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915114909/http://www.bssnews.net/bangla/newsDetails.php?cat=4&id=106935&date=2011-12-05 |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="alam">{{cite news |last=Alam |first=M. R. |date=June 15, 2010 |script-title=bn:অপারেশন খরচাখাতা |trans-title=Operation Kharacakhata |url=http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-06-15/news/71002 |newspaper=Prothom Alo |access-date=February 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618133522/http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-06-15/news/71002 |archive-date=June 18, 2022}}</ref><ref name="lutu">{{cite news |script-title=bn:অবহেলায় হারিয়ে যাচ্ছে সৈয়দপুরের গোলাহাট বধ্যভূমির স্মৃতিচিহ্ন |first=Tofazzal Hossain |last=Lutu |url=http://www.karatoa.com.bd/details.php?pub_no=594&menu_id=3&val=71027 |newspaper=Dainik Karatoa |access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2022}}
{{Violence against Hindus in East Pakistan and Bangladesh}}

== Background ==
Saidpur is a railway town and a commercial hub situated in the [[Nilphamari District]] of [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur division]] of [[Bangladesh]]. It is situated near Parbatipur, which was an important rail junction in undivided India, connecting the [[Northeast India|North East]] to the rest of the country. The [[Marwaris]], attracted by the prospect of trade and commerce had settled in the town of Saidpur, long before the [[Partition of India]]. The Marwaris became a part of the local population and contributed to the society. In 1911, Tulsiram Agarwal had founded the Tulsiram Girls High School. Some of them had earned a respected position in the society because of their social work.<ref name="alam"/> After the [[Partition of India|Partition]], the Marwaris chose to stay back in [[East Pakistan]], instead of emigrating to [[India]]. Thousands of Urdu-speaking Muslims from [[Bihar]] and the [[United Provinces (1937-1950)|United Provinces]] settled in [[Saidpur, Rajshahi Division|Saidpur]].<ref name="lutu"/> In 1971, the Urdu speaking Muslims constituted 75% of the population of city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://saidpurbd.com/ |title=Welcome to Saidpur |publisher=saidpurbd.com |access-date=February 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128084211/http://www.saidpurbd.com/ |archive-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref>

During the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]], the Urdu-speaking Muslims openly collaborated with the Pakistanis. Saidpur became a strong support base for the Pakistani occupation army.<ref name="lutu"/> On 12 April, the Pakistani occupation army killed eminent Marwari citizens Tulsiram Agarwal, Yamuna Prasad Kedia and Rameshwar Lal Agarwal at Nisbetganj, near the Rangpur cantonment. The killings created a panic in the Marwari community. Their homes were looted by the Urdu-speaking [[Bihari Muslims]].<ref name="alam"/>

== Events ==
On 1 June, the Pakistani occupation army took hostage 185 Marwari men and transported them to the Saidpur cantonment. The Pakistanis were led by local Bihari leaders. Major Gul of the Pakistani occupation army employed them in renovation of the Saidpur airbase and digging trenches for military purposes. A few days later, Major Gul stated that he would send them to India through the border outpost at Haldibari. Meanwhile, on 5 June, the Pakistani occupation army announced that the Hindus of Saidpur would be provided a safe passage to India through the Chilahati border into the [[Jalpaiguri district]] of [[West Bengal]].<ref name="alam"/>

On the morning of 13 June, at about 6 a.m., the 185 prisoners were brought to the Saidpur railway station in four military trucks. They were assured a safe passage to India and asked to bring their family and relatives. They rushed to their houses in the joy of freedom and soon returned with their families. The Pakistani soldiers and the Bihari Muslims segregated the crowd into men and women. A special train had arrived at the Saidpur railway station at 8 a.m. They were boarded into separate compartments, two each for the men and the women. The doors and the windows were locked from inside. While boarding no less 20 married and unmarried women were detained by the Pakistani soldiers and later taken to the Saidpur cantonment.<ref name="alam"/>

At about 10 a.m. the special train commenced its journey towards India. Soon after the journey had commenced, the train abruptly came to a halt over a railway culvert in Golahat, a locality in the outskirts of the Saidpur town, two kilometres of the Saidpur railway station. The doors of the compartments were opened and Bihari Muslims, armed with shining ''ramdao''s entered the compartments. The entire area was surrounded by the Pakistani military, armed with automatic weapons. The Bihari Muslims abused the Hindus, calling them ''[[malaun]]'' and stated that their lives were not even worthy of a bullet.<ref name="alam"/> The men, women and children were dragged out one by one. The Pakistani occupation army and their non-Bengali Muslim collaborators bayoneted and butchered them to death. The children who were crying out of fear were either smashed on the railway tracks or flung into the air and then caught with [[bayonet]]s.<ref name="islam"/>

There is some confusion regarding the number of people killed in the Golahat massacre. According to the ''Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha'' and ''Prothom Alo'' 437 Hindus were killed in the massacre.<ref name="islam"/><ref name="alam"/> However, Sarmila Bose mentioned a figure of 338, quoting from an account of Dwarka Prasad Singhania, Marwari businessman of Saidpur.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bose |first=Sarmila |author-link=Sarmila Bose |year=2010 |title=Dead Reckoning: Memories of 1971 Bangladesh War |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=137–138 |isbn=978-0-231-70164-8 |quote=A published account by a Marwari businessman of Saidpur, Dwarka Prasad Singhania ... [alleges] that on 13 June 1971, 338 Marwari men, women and children were massacred in a train at Golahat rail factory.}}</ref> Only ten from those who boarded the train could escape. They ran towards Dinajpur and finally took shelter in India.

== Memorial ==
In 2010, Prajanma 71 and Saidpur Smaranika Parishad commemorated the martyrdom of the victims through puja and anjali at the mass killing site at Golahat.<ref name="alam"/> No memorial has been erected even after 40 years of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]].<ref name="lutu"/> The relics of the massacre are being lost. Local land sharks have encroached upon the site of mass killing and started cultivation.<ref name="lutu"/> Sumit Agarwala, the president of Saidpur Smaranika Parishad demanded a national memorial at the mass killing site.<ref name="alam"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{1971 Bangladesh genocide|state=expanded}}

[[Category:1971 Bangladesh genocide]]
[[Category:1971 in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:June 1971 events in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Massacres committed by Pakistan in East Pakistan]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1971]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan]]

Golahat massacre - Revision history

Veronasie: General improvements to article content

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