1972 Khulna massacres
1972 massacre in Bangladesh
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In March 1972, thousands of ethnic Bihari civilians in Khulna, Bangladesh were massacred by Bengali mobs in various attacks and mass killings carried out over a period of days.[1][2][3] Bihari civilians, including women, children, and workers in jute mills, were massacred by Bengali mobs wielding knives and machetes, and their homes were set on fire.[4][5] Estimates of the death toll range from 1,000 to several thousand Biharis massacred by Bengali mobs wielding knives and machetes; survivors of the massacre have reported a death toll of up to 25,000 victims.[6][7][8] Many of the bodies of the dead were thrown into the Bhairab River.[5]
| 1972 Khulna massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part of Persecution of Biharis in Bangladesh | |
  | |
| Location | Khulna, Bangladesh |
| Date | March 1972 |
Attack type | Massacre, ethnic cleansing |
| Deaths | 1,000–25,000 |
| Victims | Bihari civilians |
| Perpetrator | Bengalis |
| Motive | Anti-Bihari sentiment |
The massacres in Khulna took place during the rule of Prime Minister Mujibur Rahman following the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971 as part of a broader wave of anti-Bihari riots and massacres in the 1970s in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), as Biharis generally supported Pakistan in the 1971 Indo–Pakistani war.[9][10]