SKYLARK MODEL SCHOOL

March 25, 1971_ black night

 

The nation will recall the black night of March 25 today in commemoration of the cowardly attack and unleashing genocide on the unarmed sleeping Bangalees by the barbarous Pakistani occupation forces in 1971, reports BSS. In their dreadful operation dubbed as 'Operation Searchlight', the Pakistani occupation forces, mercilessly killed the Bangalee members of EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) and police and students and teachers as well as thousands of common people in Dhaka city on that black night. In the wake of the military crackdown, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who became the undisputed leader of the then Pakistan following his party Awami League's massive victory in the 1970 general elections, declared independence of Bangladesh through EPR wireless at 00-30 hours on March 26 (the night following March 25) in 1971 at his historic Road-32 residence at Dhanmondi here. The great leader also called upon the people to build a united resistance against the Pakistani occupation forces. Later, the Pakistani military junta, in a bid to stop the legitimate movement of the Bangalees, arrested Bangabandhu on that night following his declaration of the country's independence.Later, Bangabandhu was taken to the then WestPakistan where he had to spend long nine months in a dark condemned cell of a Pakistani jail.The night of massacre, March 25, 1971, was a complete military operation by Pakistan occupation forces. This was one of very few military operations in post-World War-II history, which ultimately had been planned against civilians, just to kill a smart percentage of them and to scare the survivors. The concept of 'Operation Searchlight' was inspired by the My Lai massacre that U.S. Army carried out in Vietnam. Different political parties and socio-cultural organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes in observance of the Black Night to pay deep homage to the martyrs marking the day. The Sammilito Sangskritik Jote will organize a candle-lit vigil at the martyr's memorial near the residence of vice- chancellor of Dhaka University and at the memorial at Rajarbagh police line in the evening. The Liberation War Museum, Jatiya Kabita Parishad, Udichi Shilpy Goshthy, Dhaka University Teachers' Association, Juddha Aporadh Bichar Mancha and other organisations have also drawn up identical programmes to pay homage to the martyrs of March 25.According to the documents available here, the plan was drawn up in March 1971 by Major General Khadim Hussain Raza, GOC of 14th Division, and Major General Rao Farman Ali, as a follow- up of decisions taken at a meeting of the Pakistani army staff on February 22. The 16th Infantry Division from Quetta and the 9th Division from Kharian, West Pakistan, were ordered to prepare to move to East Pakistan in mid-February also as a result of that meeting.Before putting the plan into action, senior Pakistani officers in East Pakistan, who were unwilling to support the military attack on civilians, Lt General Shahabzada Yakub Khan, GOC, East Pakistan, and the governor of East Pakistan, Vice Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, were relieved of their duties. Lt Gen Tikka Khan became the governor and GOC of East Pakistan. On March 17, General Raza was given authority to plan the operation via telephone by General Hamid, COS, Pakistan Army. On the morning of March 18, General Raza and Major General Rao Farman Ali wrote the plan at the GOC's office at Dhaka Cantonment.The plan was written on a light blue office pad with a lead pencil by General Farman containing 16 paragraphs spread over five pages.The March 25 atrocities carried out by Pakistani military junta triggered the struggle for independence.Following the declaration of independence by Bangabandhu, the whole nation, except a few pro-Pakistani elements, joined the War of Liberation that lasted long nine months. And ultimately Bangladesh was freed from the Pakistani occupation forces with their surrender at Race Course later renamed as Suhrawardy Udyan on December 16 in 1971. On the fateful night of March 25 in 1971, the Pakistani military junta in the guise of a mock dialogue had resorted to genocide in Dhaka city, the provincial capital of the then East Pakistan, to implement their blueprint to negate the Awami League's election mandate of 1970.