Demra massacre

{{Short description|Massacre of Bengali Hindus during the Bangladesh Liberation War}}

{{Infobox civilian attack

| title = Demra massacre
ডেমরা গণহত্যা

| partof = Bangladesh genocide

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| map = {{Location map|Bangladesh|lat=24.14|long=89.46|caption=}}

| map_caption =

| location = Demra, Pabna, East Pakistan

| target = Bengali Hindus

| coordinates =

| date = 13 May 1971

| time =

| timezone = UTC+6:00

| type = Mass murder, mass rape

| fatalities = 800–900

| injuries =

| perps = Pakistani Army
Razakars

| weapons = Light machine guns

| numparts =

}}

Demra massacre ({{langx|bn|ডেমরা গণহত্যা}}) in Bangladesh was the massacre of unarmed Hindu residents of the villages under Demra Union in present-day Faridpur Upazila in Pabna District by the Pakistan Army aided by local collaborators on 13 May 1971. It is estimated that 800–900 people were killed in a single day.{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Faridpur Upazila}} Rape and plunder were also carried out and temples, schools and houses were set on fire.

Background

When the Pakistani army spread out from Dhaka towards the districts as a part of the Operation Searchlight, the people began to flee their homes. The Hindus began to flee Bangladesh and take refuge in neighbouring India. On their way, they had taken shelter in the remote village of Baushgari in Demra union.{{cite news |title=Nizami the man behind Pabna mass murders |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=161553 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=November 7, 2010 |access-date=May 24, 2012 |archive-date=April 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401133726/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=161553 |url-status=dead }}

Events

The Pakistani army led by the local collaborators entered the area through the Boral river and then cordoned off the Baushgari and Rupsi villages.{{cite news |title=Demra massacre day today |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=88052 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=May 13, 2009 |access-date=May 23, 2012 |archive-date=July 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725100042/http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=88052 |url-status=dead }} One collaborator named Asad led the Pakistani troops to the Baushgari village. In the nightfall, the men were dragged out of their houses and made to stand in a line while the women were raped in front of them by the Pakistani troops with the help of the collaborators. After that, both the men and women were shot to death and their houses were set on fire. A few survivors interred the charred remains of the bodies in a mass grave the next morning.{{cite news |title=Martyrs Without Names |author=Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/starinsight/2012/01/02/journey.htm |newspaper=Star Insight |date=January 28, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725111950/http://archive.thedailystar.net/starinsight/2012/01/02/journey.htm |url-status=dead }} Around 350 Hindus were killed in Baushgari village.

Investigation

An 11-member team from the International Crimes Tribunal investigated the Demra massacre in 2010. The team was led by Sayed Rejaur Rahman, one of the prosecutors of the tribunal. The investigators visited the killing spots in Baushgari village and interviewed the witnesses to the war crimes. In their investigation, they found Motiur Rahman Nizami guilty of masterminding the massacre. Nizami was convicted and executed by hanging in 2016.{{cite news|url=http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/104261/Nizami-executed|title=Nizami executed|newspaper=Prothom Alo|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511133902/http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/104261/Nizami-executed|archive-date=11 May 2016|url-status=dead}}