“The violence we are seeing today… the targeting of minorities, attacks on women and attempts to erase the history of our liberation struggle… all echo the disturbing memories of 1971.” In a exclusive interview given to StuffUnknown, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina described the situation in Bangladesh in a similar manner. He has clearly said that what is happening in Bangladesh today is not just a political upheaval, but it is the return of that dark period of 1971, when the Pakistani Army had turned the land of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) red with blood. This was the period when the honor of more than 2 lakh women was looted and in today’s situation, echoes of the barbarity of that period are heard.
The fear that Sheikh Hasina mentioned in the interview is not baseless. His reference is towards those fundamentalist forces which were against the principles of independence of Bangladesh. Hasina said that the same mentality with which the Pakistani Army and its supporters (Razakars) were working in 1971 is again trying to dominate Bangladesh. Hindus were specifically targeted in 1971. Even today temples and houses of Hindus are being attacked in Bangladesh. In 1971, rape of women was used as a weapon. Hasina fears that in this environment of anarchy, the honor of women is again in danger. Bangladesh was born on the basis of secularism and Bengali culture, and not on the basis of religion. Hasina says that the new forces want to erase the history of this ‘liberation struggle’.
1971: The year humanity died
To understand the seriousness of Sheikh Hasina’s warning, we have to go back 54 years. The year 1971 was not only the year of India-Pakistan war, but it was also witness to one of the world’s biggest massacres.
Operation Searchlight and the massacre
On the night of 25 March 1971, Pakistani Army started ‘Operation Searchlight’. Its objective was to crush Bengali nationalism. Pakistani army entered Dhaka University, lined up students and professors and opened fire. He believed that it was necessary to end the pride that Bengalis feel about their culture and language.
In March 2010, an exhibition on the 1971 massacre was organized in Dhaka University, in which the reality of that time was described. (File Photo Reuters)
pain of 2 lakh women
- The most horrifying truth of the 1971 war is that women’s bodies were used as a battlefield. Statistics show that Pakistani army and their local helpers (Razakars) raped 2 lakh to 4 lakh Bengali women. This was not a matter of lust, but a well-thought-out strategy.
- This was called genocidal rape. The aim was to change the Bengali race and break the morale of the people so much that they could never raise their heads. Thousands of girls were picked up and kept in army camps. Society refused to accept women who became pregnant after the war.
- Then Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Hasina’s father) gave her the status of Beerangana (veteran or war heroine) so that she could get respect. Today, when Sheikh Hasina says that attacks on women are echoes of 1971, she is referring to the fear that fundamentalist forces may target women again.
Why comparison between today’s situation and 1971?
- A vacuum has been created in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina stepped down from power and left the country. The pictures that emerged during this period were frightening.
- In 1971, one crore refugees came to India, most of whom were Hindus. Even today there are reports that due to fear, Hindu families are thinking of crossing the border.
- In 1971, Pakistanis destroyed the symbols of Bengali culture. In 2024-25, the mob broke the statues of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Father of the Nation of Bangladesh) with hammers. This is the same attempt to “erase history” that Hasina mentioned.
- Jamaat-e-Islami was the organization which supported Pakistan in 1971. In today’s interim arrangement, the voice of fundamentalist groups is becoming louder again. Sheikh Hasina calls this “battle of ideologies”.
We had created a secular country, what will happen now?
In her interview, Sheikh Hasina said, we fought against this ideology in the war and we made Bangladesh a strong, secular and safe country, especially for women and minorities. Hasina’s argument is that during her rule, she got the death penalty for those war criminals who carried out the massacre in 1971. Now that they are not in power, there is no one to stop those forces.
Why is Pakistan connection dangerous?
Why Bangladesh at the crossroads of history?
Sheikh Hasina’s words are a warning. She is reminding the world that freedom and democracy are very fragile. The independence that Bangladesh achieved in 1971 at the cost of millions of lives was not just to change a map, but to save a culture where Bengalis could live with their heads held high.
Will Bangladesh return to its roots?
Today, when there is violence, arson and an atmosphere of fear among minorities on the streets of Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina’s words ‘echoes of 1971’ seem very heavy. The question is, will Bangladesh return to its roots, or will it go into the dark cave of fundamentalism, from where it had made such a huge sacrifice 54 years ago?
