Muzaffarabad massacre

Muzaffarabad massacre মুজাফফরাবাদ হত্যাকান্ড
Location	Patiya, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Date	3 May 1971 (UTC+6:00)
Target	Bengali Hindus
Attack type	Mass murder, Massacre
Weapons	Rifles
Deaths	More than 300
Perpetrators	Pakistani Army, Razakars

Muzaffarabad massacre (Bengali: মুজাফফরাবাদ হত্যাকান্ড) was the massacre of the residents of predominantly Hindu village of Muzaffarabad now under Kharna Union of Patiya Upazila in Chittagong District of Bangladesh on 3 May 1971 by the Pakistani army aided by the local collaborators. An estimated 300 Bengali Hindus, from 5 year old child to 80 years old men and women were killed in the massacre. More than 500 houses were burnt to ashes. According to eyewitnesses, Rameez Ahmed Chowdhury, the then Chairman of Kharna Union, and his aides were responsible for the massacre.

The village of Muzaffarabad is located under the Kharna Union, in the south eastern extremity of Patiya Upazila in Chittagong District. In 1971, Muzaffarabad was one of the many predominantly Hindu villages under Patiya police station. In the 1970 elections, 95% of the voters of Muzaffarabad voted for Awami League. When the army crackdown started on 25 March, many people from Chittagong took shelter at their relative's place in Muzaffarabad. On 16 April, the Pakistani occupation army bombed Patiya and subsequently took control of the southern part of Chittagong district. They camped at Dohazari and Patiya. At Patiya, the Pakistani occupation army camped at the Primary Training Institute. The used to arrest unarmed villagers and torcher them at the camp. Many were killed and buried underneath the PTI grounds.

Towards the end of April, the Razakars from Kharna and Elahabad villages targeted the Hindu village for persecution and loot. As the anti-social elements began to be seen frequently in the village, the elders decided to set up a village defence. Twenty camps were set up along the border of the village, each having twenty men for vigil. In the event of an attack, the men in the camp would set an alarm so that men from the other camps can come together to resist the attackers. The all round vigil at the camps helped the villagers foil attacks from the Razakars more than once. Having failed, the Razakars persuaded the Pakistani occupation army at the Dohazari camp to attack Muzaffarabad.

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