1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals | |
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Part of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide | |
A sculpture in Meherpur showing the execution of intellectuals by the Pakistan Army in 1971 | |
Location | East Pakistan |
Date | 25 March, 14 – 16 December 1971 |
Target | Bengali intellectuals |
Attack type | Deportation, ethnic cleansing, mass murder, genocidal massacre |
Deaths | 1,111[1] |
Perpetrators | Pakistan Army |
Motive | Anti-Bengali sentiment, destruction of Bengali Intelligentsia |
In 1971, the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, most notably the extreme right wing militia group Al-Badr, engaged in the systematic execution of Bengali intellectuals during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Bengali intellectuals were abducted, tortured and killed during the entire duration of the war as part of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. However, the largest number of systematic executions took place on 25 March and 14 December 1971, two dates that bookend the conflict. 14 December is commemorated in Bangladesh as Martyred Intellectuals Day.