1964 East-Pakistan riots

1964 East Pakistan riots
Rioters attacking the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka
Location	East Pakistan
Date	From January 1964
Target	Bengali Hindus, Garos
Attack type	Massacre, Forced conversion, Plunder, Arson, Abduction and Rape
Perpetrators	East-Pakistan Police, Ansars, Army, East-Pakistan Rifles, Local Muslims
Motive	Muslim community attacked Hindu community for wealth and forced conversion to Islam

The 1964 East Pakistan Riots refer to the massacre and ethnic cleansing of Bengali Hindus from East Pakistan in the wake of an alleged theft of what was believed to be the Prophet's hair from the Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir in India. The salient feature of the pogroms was its urban nature and selective targeting of Bengali Hindu owned industries and merchant establishments in the capital city of Dhaka. This resulted in unending waves of Bengali Hindu refugees in neighbouring West Bengal. The refugee rehabilitation became a national problem in India, and hundreds of refugees were resettled in Dandakaranya in Madhya Pradesh.

On 27 December 1963, the hair of Muhammad went missing from the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar in India. There were mass protests in Jammu and Kashmir over the disappearance of the relic. In East Pakistan, Abdul Hai, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Islamic Board declared jihad against Hindus and other non-Muslims of East Pakistan. While returning to Islamabad, the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan made a statement at the Dhaka airport that he won't be responsible for any reaction in Pakistan in response to the Hazratbal incident. The Pakistan Convention Muslim League declared 'Kashmir Day' on 3 January 1964. On 4 January 1964, the relic was discovered and the miscreants were arrested. However, the next day Pakistan Radio described the discovered relic as fake.