As Bangladesh marks Independence Day, the memory of March 25, 1971, a night of coordinated killings and terror, remains one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history.
Among the victims of that night was Dhaka University professor Dr Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, whose killing reflects the systematic targeting of intellectuals during the crackdown.
On that night, Pakistani forces launched Operation Searchlight, a military campaign aimed at crushing the Bengali population’s demand for independence.
Beginning around midnight, troops carried out coordinated attacks across Dhaka and other parts of the country, killing thousands of civilians, including students, teachers and police personnel.
Key locations such as the University of Dhaka, Rajarbagh Police Lines and Pilkhana were targeted.
At Jagannath Hall and Iqbal Hall, students were lined up and shot, while teachers and staff members were also killed.
Communication systems, including telephone, telegraph and radio, were shut down, effectively isolating the capital.
A decision to stay
In the days leading up to the crackdown, fears of an imminent military operation had spread widely.
Dr Guhathakurta, an English literature professor and provost of Jagannath Hall, had advised colleagues and students to seek safety.
Despite warnings, he chose to remain at his residence near the Shaheed Minar area.
As provost of Jagannath Hall, one of the main targets that night, he stayed with his family.
His daughter, Professor Meghna Guhathakurta, later recalled the events of that night in an interview with Dhaka Tribune.
“We were always afraid that the army might come and arrest us,” she said.
Around 11pm on March 25, a convoy of army jeeps arrived in the area.
Soldiers began raiding the residential building where they lived, searching each of the six flats.
“Three entered our flat from the back, an officer and two soldiers in Pakistani army uniform. They asked in Urdu if ‘Professor sahib’ was there. My mother asked where they would take him, but they gave no answer. They dressed him in a panjabi and took him away through the back door,” she said.
Killings inside the quarters
Later that night, soldiers returned and searched for others in the building.
A teacher named Moniruzzaman opened his door and was dragged out along with his son and two other men.
“We thought they were being arrested, but they were shot dead on the spot,” Meghna said.
Soon after, the family learned that Dr Guhathakurta had been shot twice.
“My father was still conscious before being shot,” she said, adding that the soldiers had asked his name and religion before opening fire.
According to accounts later documented by his wife, Basanti Guhathakurta, in her book Ekattorer Smriti, Pakistani soldiers broke into their residence around 2am through the kitchen door.
A race against time
Due to the curfew imposed across Dhaka, the family could not immediately take him to a hospital.
He remained at home through the night of March 25 and the following day.
When the curfew eased on March 27, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Doctors said his condition was critical and beyond recovery. He died on March 30.
Describing the situation at the hospital, Meghna said it was overwhelmed with casualties.
“Bodies and injured people were being brought in continuously. The hospital reeked of blood. There was no space in the corridors, no beds. Even the floor was full. My father was initially placed on the floor. Later, when someone recognized him as a teacher, he was given a bed,” she said.
Outside the hospital, the chaos continued.
“People were bringing in bodies by ambulance and rickshaw, everyone running in panic,” she added.
Dr Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta’s killing was one among thousands that night, as Pakistani forces sought to eliminate the intellectual leadership of the Bengali population.
His story, preserved through personal testimony, stands as a reminder of the human cost of March 25 -- and of the resilience that ultimately led to Bangladesh’s independence.
