Salanga massacre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- attempted arrest of Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish
- Unrest in British India
| Salanga massacre | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Indian independence movement | |||
 a riverbank in Raiganj, Sirajganj in 2020 | |||
| Date | 27 January 1922 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by |
| ||
| Parties | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death | 1,500 to 4,500 people | ||
Several hundred protesters were killed in the Salanga massacre, on 27 January 1922, when fired on by the Indian Imperial Police at the Salanga bazaar in Ullapara Upazila in what was then the Bengal province of British India. The area is now within the Sirajganj District of Bangladesh.
Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish mentioned that the tide of violent movement broke out across the country. Volunteers were campaigning in groups to boycott foreign clothes and other goods in every city, village, market. The colonial government tightened its policy of repression.
The massacre
Following an intelligence report that revolutionaries, led by Tarkabagish, were regrouping. the then superintendent of police (SP) in Pabna, led by the district administration, went to Salanga market and arrested Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish from the Congress office and took him to the southern end of the market which triggered a storm of protest. Agitated crowd came forward from all directions with locally made arms. Suddenly, a cattle trader hit the police officer, triggering police retaliation. The police personnel opened fire on the armed mob in the busy market, killing hundreds of them.[1] The official investigation report stated that the number of casualties was around 4,500.
Prior to the incident, in January 1922 at Chandaikona which is around 20 kilometers away from the place of incident on the border of Bogra and Pabna, the policemen prevented volunteers from boycotting goods at the weekly market.[2] The people got furious and snatched the rifle from the hands of the policemen and threw it in the Fuljor river near the market. In this incident the police became vindictive towards the Congress workers and public in the area.