Unveiling an overlooked tragedy: Massacre of Biharis in East Pakistan

By MNS

In 1971, amid the turbulent birth of Bangladesh, the Bihari community in East Pakistan faced massacres and a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign

THE PAST IS ANOTHER STORY

Aug 21, 2025

THE year 1971 remains etched in most people’s memory as an extraordinary event — the birth of Bangladesh amid a brutal war for independence. However, what has remained obscured from most people are the ethnic cleansing and massacres of the Bihari community, the Urdu-speaking East Pakistanis. This tragic and far less acknowledged story has lately been brought to light.

The Biharis’ ordeal, overshadowed by the dominant narrative championed by Bangladeshis, deserves urgent recognition, reflection, and debate. That is because the violence against them was not an unfortunate by-product of war but a deliberate, politically charged campaign triggered in the volatile aftermath of a catastrophic political deadlock.

After the general elections on 7 December 1970 — in which Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League secured a clear majority, Bengalis were expecting the unveiling of a new democratic dispensation led by them. However, the military regime under General Yahya Khan ultimately cancelled the convening of the new National Assembly. This shattered hopes of peaceful political transition and galvanised Bengali demands for outright independence.

In the ensuing political and social chaos, the Bihari community was cast as the enemy within, accused of siding with West Pakistan and betraying Bengali aspirations. During these months, Bengali nationalist forces and irregulars exercised effective control over much of East Pakistan. Thousands of Bihari and other non-Bengali civilians were then targeted and killed by the Bengali militants and mobs.

The rising violence against the Bihari community created immense pressure on the Pakistani military leadership. Faced with complete loss of control in East Pakistan and the escalating massacre of a loyal minority population, the Pakistan Army launched Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971. This operation not only aimed to crush the Bengali nationalist uprising but also to protect vulnerable non-Bengali communities amid the chaos.

Looked on by Indian soldiers, Mukti Bahini thugs torture and slay four Bihari men a few days on from the surrender by Pakistani soldiers in December 1971.AP Photo

The Bihari people, primarily migrants from Bihar and other regions of India, largely spoke Urdu and were perceived as loyal to West Pakistan. This perception made them targets of suspicion and hostility from the Bengali population and the emerging Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrilla forces). The Biharis were widely seen as collaborators with the Pakistani military regime, fostering deep ethnic and political animosities.

Historical records and recent research — such as Witness to Surrender by Siddiq Salik, Refugee by Azmat Ashraf (a surviving member of an affected Bihari family), and 1971: Ethnic Cleansing of Biharis in East Pakistan by Dr Junaid Ahmad — reveal horrific accounts of targeted killings, torture, and rape against the Bihari population. According to Dr Ahmad’s work, which draws on eyewitness testimonies and contemporary newspaper reports, approximately 660,000 Bihari and other non-Bengali civilians were killed from March 1971 to February 1972. These atrocities were perpetrated not only by Bengali militants but also by some Indian soldiers who supported the Mukti Bahini.

Despite the scale of these atrocities, the mass killings of the Bihari community remain relatively unknown globally. This lack of awareness is mainly due to the suppression and censorship by the government under General Yahya Khan, which ordered news organisations to downplay or entirely ignore the violence inflicted on the Bihari and other minorities. This media blackout severely curtailed documentation and international understanding of the ethnic cleansing that took place, leaving the Bihari tragedy overshadowed in the historical narrative of the 1971 war.

After the war, many Biharis found themselves stateless and stranded in the newly independent Bangladesh. Viewed as pro-Pakistan, they were initially denied Bangladeshi citizenship, and many were confined to refugee camps under dire conditions, isolated from mainstream society. Bangladesh’s government remained reluctant to integrate the Biharis fully.

At the same time, Pakistan stripped many Biharis of their citizenship in 1978, deepening their marginalisation. Their homes, properties, and businesses were often confiscated or occupied by Bengalis, compounding their suffering and displacement.

The atrocities endured by the Biharis must be understood alongside the excesses committed by Pakistani soldiers against the Bengalis. Recognition of the Biharis’ massacre is crucial to presenting a fuller, more nuanced understanding of the bloody events of 1971. Acknowledging the marginalised community’s suffering is essential to honouring all the victims and healing the fractures left by one of the 20th century’s most brutal wars.

In summary, the massacre and ethnic cleansing of the Bihari community in East Pakistan in 1971, triggered by the cancellation of the convening of the freely elected National Assembly and obscured by government-imposed censorship, remain a profoundly under-recognised tragedy. The rising attacks on Biharis by Bengali groups and the ensuing military operation to regain control stand as a cautionary tale about the dangerous intersections of ethnic identity and political conflict.

This dark episode demands an appropriate place in the history of South Asia — especially that of what remains of Pakistan.