Golahat massacre
The Golahat massacre () was a massacre of 437 emigrating Hindu merchants and businessmen of Marwari ethnicity in Saidpur, East Pakistan on 13 June 1971, by the Urdu-speaking people of the area who had collaborated with the Pakistan army. Background Saidpur is a railway town and a commercial hub situated in the Nilphamari District of Rangpur division of Bangladesh. It is situated near Parbatipur, which was an important rail junction in undivided India, connecting the North East to the rest of the country. The Marwaris, attracted by the prospect of trade and commerce had settled in the town of Saidpur, long before the Partition of India. The Marwaris became a part of the local population and contributed to the society. In 1911, Tulsiram Agarwal had founded the Tulsiram Girls High School. Some of them had earned a respected position in the society because of their social work. After the Partition, the Marwaris chose to stay back in East Pakistan, instead of emigrating to India. Thousands of Urdu-speaking Muslims from Bihar and the United Provinces settled in Saidpur. In 1971, the Urdu speaking Muslims constituted 75% of the population of city. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Urdu-speaking Muslims openly collaborated with the Pakistanis. Saidpur became a strong support base for the Pakistani occupation army. On 12 April, the Pakistani occupation army killed eminent Marwari citizens Tulsiram Agarwal, Yamuna Prasad Kedia and Rameshwar Lal Agarwal at Nisbetganj, near the Rangpur cantonment. The killings created a panic in the Marwari community. Their homes were looted by the Urdu-speaking Bihari Muslims. Events On 1 June, the Pakistani occupation army took hostage 185 Marwari men and transported them to the Saidpur cantonment. The Pakistanis were led by local Bihari leaders. Major Gul of the Pakistani occupation army employed them in renovation of the Saidpur airbase and digging trenches for military purposes. A few days later, Major Gul stated that he would send them to India through the border outpost at Haldibari. Meanwhile, on 5 June, the Pakistani occupation army announced that the Hindus of Saidpur would be provided a safe passage to India through the Chilahati border into the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. On the morning of 13 June, at about 6 a.m., the 185 prisoners were brought to the Saidpur railway station in four military trucks. They were assured a safe passage to India and asked to bring their family and relatives. They rushed to their houses in the joy of freedom and soon returned with their families. The Pakistani soldiers and the Bihari Muslims segregated the crowd into men and women. A special train had arrived at the Saidpur railway station at 8 a.m. They were boarded into separate compartments, two each for the men and the women. The doors and the windows were locked from inside. While boarding no less 20 married and unmarried women were detained by the Pakistani soldiers and later taken to the Saidpur cantonment. At about 10 a.m. the special train commenced its journey towards India.