Samyam517 at 07:07, 7 April 2026

2026-04-07T07:07:38Z

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{{Short description|Massacre of Hindus}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Silapathar massacre<br/>শিলাপাথর গণহত্যা
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| map = {{Location map|India Assam|lat=27.60|long=94.72|caption=}}
| map_caption =
| location = [[Silapathar]], [[Lakhimpur district|Lakhimpur]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| target = [[Bengali Hindus]]
| coordinates = 
| date = 14 February 1983
| time =
| timezone = UTC+5:30
| type = [[Massacre]]
| fatalities = 1000
| injuries =
| perps = [[Mishing people|Mishing]] and [[Assamese people|other native Assamese]] mobs
| weapons = Guns, spears, swords, scythes, bows and arrows
| numparts =
}}

{{Moresources|date=March 2025}}
'''Silapathar massacre''' ({{langx|bn|শিলাপাথর গণহত্যা}}) refers to the massacre of [[Bengali Hindu]] refugee settlers from [[East Pakistan]] in Silapathar in undivided [[Lakhimpur district]] of [[Assam]] in February 1983.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bakshi|first1=Shiri Ram|last2=Sharma|first2=Sitaram|last3=Gajrani|first3=S|title=Contemporary Political Leadership in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L1i51KFUyzIC|accessdate=19 June 2016|volume=2|year=1998|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=9788176480086|page=215}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor=Basu, Sibaji Pratim|title=The Fleeing People of South Asia: Selections from Refugee Watch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-d_0Upl6tXUC|accessdate=19 June 2016|year=2009|publisher=Anthem Press|isbn=9781843317784|page=261}}</ref> Around fifty Bengali Hindus were killed in the massacre. Veteran journalist Sabita Goswami reminisced that according to Government sources, more than a thousand people were killed in the clashes.<ref>{{cite book|last=Goswami|first=Sabita|title=Along the Red River: A Memoir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E7t5DAAAQBAJ|accessdate=23 April 2017|date=11 March 2014|isbn=9789383074266|chapter=27}}</ref> The [[Hajong people|Hajongs]], another refugee group though not the primary target, suffered casualties. The news of the massacre was reported after several days as the attackers had destroyed several bridges leading to the remote area.<ref name="ct25021983">{{cite news |title=Bengalis flee after new massacre |date=25 February 1983 |work=Chicago Tribune |page=6}}</ref>

== Background ==
In the 1960s, thousands of Bengali Hindus fled the persecutions in [[East Pakistan]] and arrived as refugees in [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]] and other north-eastern states of India. In [[Lakhimpur district|Lakhimpur District]] of [[Assam]] the Bengali Hindu refugees were settled by the central and state governments in Silapathar and other places. In the Silapathar area the villages of Kakobari, Panbari, Arnay Ramnagar, Arnay Tirashi, Kheroni Basti, Simen Sapori and Kanchonkona were inhabited by the Bengali Hindu refugees.<ref name="hbf">{{cite web|url=http://in.boell.org/sites/default/files/hbf_report_8rev1_small_size.pdf|title='Bearing Witness': The Impact of Conflict on Women in Nagaland and Assam|year=2011|work=‘Bearing Witness’: Documenting Marginalized Histories|publisher=The Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research|pages=41–46|accessdate=19 June 2016}}</ref> The Jairampur village was inhabited by the Hajong refugees.<ref name="hbf"/> The area now falls under [[Dhemaji district|Dhemaji District]].

By 1983, the Bengali Hindus had become two decades old residents of Silapathar. They were ethnic minority in the region. They were often extorted of the harvest of the fish catch by the predominant groups in the region.

== Killings ==
The attackers had destroyed several bridges which lead to the remote area. The mobs attacked the villagers with machetes, bows and arrows. The villagers were hacked to death. The attackers burnt the houses, belongings and the food grains. According to eyewitnesses, the attacks snatched the babies from their mothers' arms and threw them into fire. The villagers ran towards the jungle for shelter. They spent days without much food or shelter. The Hajongs were not the direct targets but they were a witness to the massacre of the Bengali Hindus. During the incident their village was also burnt and they took shelter in the refugee camps.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

== Aftermath ==
As the attackers set fire to the villages, the survivors fled to [[Arunachal Pradesh]].<ref name="upi24021983">{{cite news|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/02/24/Army-troops-rushed-Thursday-to-northeastern-Assam-state-where/5756414910800/|title=Army troops rushed Thursday to northeastern Assam state where...|last=Roy|first=S.G.|date=24 February 1983|work=UPI|accessdate=22 April 2017}}</ref> Later, the government setup some relief camps. The survivors who had been hiding in the jungles till then took shelter in the relief camps. After a few months the government provided the survivors some tin sheets and ration and disbanded the relief camps. The villagers worked hard to rebuild their homes and hearth. However, the government didn't have any long term relief and rehabilitation measures for the victims of the massacre.

== See also ==
* [[Mandai massacre]]
* [[Khoirabari massacre]]
* [[North Kamrup massacre]]
* [[Goreswar massacre]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Violence against Bengali Hindus in Assam}}
[[Category:1983 murders in India]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1983]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus in India]]
[[Category:1980s in Assam]]
[[Category:February 1983 in India]]
[[Category:Massacres in India]]
[[Category:Ethnic cleansing in Asia]]
[[Category:Anti-Hindu violence in India]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengalis]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus in Assam]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengalis in Assam]]

Silapathar massacre - Revision history

Samyam517 at 07:07, 7 April 2026