User:BengaliHindu/Gopairbag massacre

Gopairbag massacre (গোপাইরবাগ হত্যাকান্ড) was a massacre of the unarmed men of the Das family of Gopairbag village on 12 October 1946. It was a part of a series of Hindu massacres in the Noakhali genocide. 21 out of 23 male members of the Hindu family was massacred and the women were gang raped.

Background
Gopairbag was a populous village near the Sompara market under Ramganj police station in the district of Noakhali. It was a predominantly Muslim village with a few Hindu families including Baishya Barujibi Das family. The three brothers Kalikamal, Ramram and Shashi Patwari had a flourishing trade in betel leaves, betel nuts and rice having a monthly income of more than 2,000 rupees.

Events
On 12 October, the Quasim's army attacked the Das house and murdered 19 members of the family. Their corpses were tied together and set on fire. The womenfolk of the family were gang raped while the men were burning. According to Dinesh Chandra Sinha, 21 out of 23 male members of the family were killed in the massacre.

Aftermath
Three and a half months later Mohandas Gandhi visited their homestead along with Sucheta Kriplani, Nirmal Kumar Bose and Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee. Half burnt bones were lying here and there. Stains of blood were still visible at the doorsteps of some of the huts. The earthen floors of many of the huts were dug up in search of hidden cash or jewellery.