Dhaka, March 25 (NationPress) The evening of March 25, 1971, known as the 'Black Night,' serves as a stark reminder of the atrocious repression inflicted upon the Bangladeshi populace by Pakistani military forces, as Bangladesh commemorates 'Genocide Day' today.

The horrific events began with the initiation of 'Operation Searchlight' against defenseless Bangladeshis, marking the onset of one of the most tragic periods in the country's history.

“As night descended, armored tanks surged through the streets, and soldiers opened fire indiscriminately. Major sites like Dhaka University, Pilkhana, Rajarbagh Police Lines, and predominantly Hindu neighborhoods in Old Dhaka faced coordinated assaults. Numerous students and educators lost their lives, with university dormitories transforming into sites of mass slaughter,” a report from Bangladesh’s foremost newspaper 'The Daily Star' elaborated.

“This orchestrated campaign sought to dismantle the Bengalee nationalist movement after the Awami League's electoral triumph in 1970. The violence soon permeated throughout the then East Pakistan, targeting innocent civilians, students, intellectuals, and even members of the security forces,” it further stated.

According to eyewitness accounts and comprehensive historical analysis, the report revealed that thousands of unarmed civilians were murdered within just one night, homes were set ablaze, and entire communities laid in ruin.

The scale and savagery of the violence reverberated globally.

On that fateful night, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Awami League leader and symbol of the independence struggle, was apprehended by Pakistani forces. He was later transported to West Pakistan, enduring nine months of imprisonment.

Highlighting that these violent acts instigated the Bangladesh Liberation War, the report affirmed, “The occurrences of March 25 are largely considered the spark of the 1971 genocide, which ignited the nine-month Liberation War. Bangladesh ultimately achieved freedom on December 16, 1971, when Pakistani forces surrendered to the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces at Race Course Maidan, now known as Suhrawardy Udyan.

On this day, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman characterized the events of March 25, 1971, as a “premeditated massacre” and one of the most savage episodes in the nation’s chronicles.

“March 25, 1971, is observed as Genocide Day. On this solemn occasion, I extend my deepest tributes to all the martyrs. This date remains one of the most shameful and brutal days in the history of freedom-loving Bangladesh,” stated Tarique Rahman.

The Prime Minister remarked that the Pakistani occupying forces perpetrated one of the most “atrocious” genocides in history against unarmed Bangladeshis that night under the guise of Operation Searchlight.

In addition, Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin noted that March 25, 1971, marks the most brutal and agonizing chapter in the nation’s past, a day when the entire population was rendered speechless and horrified by this genocide.

Shahabuddin urged all citizens of Bangladesh, regardless of their religion, caste, political affiliation, or opinion, to unite in a spirit of patriotism to honor the ideals and aspirations of the 1971 Liberation War martyrs.