Today, November 13, marks the observance of Hatia Genocide Day in Ulipur Upazila of Kurigram, commemorating the largest mass killing in Bangladesh's northern region during the Liberation War of 1971. On this day fifty-four years ago, innocent civilians in Hatia Union fell victim to systematic brutality by the Pakistani army.
The massacre occurred in the village of Dagarakuti, located in Hatia Union approximately 8 kilometers east of the upazila headquarters in the Brahmaputra River basin. Just 32 days before the country achieved independence, Pakistani occupation forces perpetrated a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately killing 697 unarmed civilians.
The atrocity took place on November 13, 1971, which fell on a Saturday and coincided with the 23rd day of Ramadan. Acting on intelligence that freedom fighters were stationed in Anantapur village, Pakistani troops and their local collaborators established armed positions around the area. In the pre-dawn hours, as fasting villagers slept after their pre-dawn meal or prepared for Fajr prayers, the surrounding areas suddenly erupted with gunfire and mortar shelling.
Chaos spread as startled residents awoke to the attack. Before villagers from Anantapur, Ramkhana, Nayadara, Mandoler Hat, Nilkantha, and Dagarakuti could comprehend the situation, Pakistani forces and their local accomplices—including Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams militiamen—began setting houses ablaze while simultaneously looting properties and torturing residents. Within hours, multiple villages were reduced to smoldering ruins.
In desperate attempts to survive, terrified civilians fled into paddy fields and jungle areas, while others leaped into the Brahmaputra River. Despite these efforts, few escaped the onslaught. The air resonated with the desperate cries of elderly residents and children.
Supported by local collaborators, the Pakistani army systematically rounded up men and women from surrounding villages, forcing them to line up in Dagarakuti before opening fire. To ensure no survivors, soldiers bayoneted the fallen bodies before setting them ablaze. The following day, local residents recovered the mutilated remains of 697 victims, burying them in a mass grave. The original burial site and memorial were eventually washed away by Brahmaputra River erosion. A relocated monument now stands at the Hatia Union Parishad grounds, while another memorial was constructed west of New Anantapur Bazaar.
Although this brutal chapter of Liberation War history has not received widespread national recognition, it remains vividly etched in the memory of Ulipur's residents.
