February 17, 1950 East Pakistan (now Bangladesh): Zaminder (Landlord) Vidyanath’s house: When they saw the Muslim gang entering the house compound, they went to the rooftop and started pelting stone from there to defend themselves. To protect themselves from the stone pelting, the Muslim gang broke the front huge wooden door and used it as an umbrella to protect their heads from the stones. The Muslim gang entered the house by breaking the door. There was a very old man downstairs, they cut him into pieces and threw the pieces in the compound, while dancing with joy. Seeing no other option, the Hindus descended from the rooftop; the women were crying. Among those who descended from the rooftop Govindo Saha, Makhan Ghosh, Panchu Ghosh, Harkumar Ray, Surendra Ray , etc. Suren Ray (47) came down and with folded hands appealed, “Please save us brothers”. But they beheaded his head with one sift wipe of the knife. Blood flew from his severed neck. His son Adhir (18) descended from the rooftop and saw this scene. The Muslims were coming in groups and cut the heads of the Hindus present, as follows: Umacharan Shil (55), Fatik Chakravarty (50), Narayan Chakravertty (45), Khushal Shil (42), Kalicharan Basak (55), etc. Some of the Muslims in the gang were busy looting, and others in killing the Hindus. Little children were taken from mother’s lap and thrown in the air and then their bodies were pierced into spears and blood spilled everywhere. Some children were thrown from the rooftop down and killed and the Muslim gang rejoiced. 300 women were brought down and the young and pretty ones were selected and taken away. Since that day there was no trace of them. The elderly women were verbally abused. Taher Kahn, a Muslim, attacked one Hindu, Bipin Shil. Bipin resisted and with bows and arrow. In the last resort he leaped downstairs to his death; there was blood everywhere and he died. Despite that, the gang below beheaded him. They took Hindus like Harkumar Roy and made them sit in the sun. Taher Khan took 1500 rupees from Harkumar’s Roys son Sukhranjan (18) and his nephew Adhir (16). Everyone was undressed and they sat naked in the sun. The 300 women were made to sit separately. 4/5 Muslims wearing ghunghut (or ankle bells) were dancing and cutting each the Hindus into pieces. First they cut Harkumar into pieces and then Narayan Banik (18, and student of the 10thgrade); additionally, all were beheaded. They cut Hakumar’s son Sukhranjan with a Ramda, (a big sword).. Then they made deep wound into Adhir, blood gushed out, but somehow he was saved later. His brother Sushanta (8) and Bhubanmohan (25) were cut into pieces. Thus, hours after hour after hour the Hindus were made to sit in line and cut into pieces. The bodies of Gopalkrishna Ray, Amritlala Ray, Govindo Saha, Krishna Rya, Krishna Saha, Yogesh Saha were cut into pieces. All these happened in front of the eyes of the women. In Vaidyanath’s balcony thee lay 300 dead bodies and 100 wounded ones. Besides corpses of Hindus littered in the streets, the stair case, roof , and the jungles. Some women fled to the jungle. Some came and tried to search for the wounded. In the evening 2 cops and the Ansarscame took them to the Rampurhat camp. About 700/800 people and walked to Rampurhat school which was 2 miles away. Some cops have to be bribed to bring the wounded to Barishal hospital. In 4/5/6 days that huge once thriving household turned into a ruin and a deserted haunted place. The corpses laid in the balcony and no one cremated them. Later some people came and buried them in the compound of the house. In the balcony there was blood stains all over that stood as the witness to the demonic act. Jogen Mandal, a lower caste Hindu, who joined the Muslim League and stayed in Pakistan saw the incident and spoke to those who were wounded but survived. Among them were Ramlal Roy, Prem Roy, Bholanath Roy. Jogen Mandal was the Law and Labor Minister of Pakistan, right after independence. This incident and others affected him deeply and he resigned from his post. In 1950, Jogen Mandal repatriate to India due to a warrant for arresting him, Mandal saw Pakistani as a failed state that failed to protect its minorities.
https://archive.org/details/1950-roktoronjito-dhaka-barisal-ebong/page/n7/mode/2up, p 52, Translated from Bengali by Rinita Mazumdar, Ph.D.).
