After the Pakistani military launched genocide in East Pakistan on March 25, 1971, to suppress the Bengali resistance for an independent Bangladesh, other Bengalis linked to Islamist parties became their supporters and formed auxiliary forces, like the Peace Committee, Razakar, al-Badr, al-Shams, and Mujahid Bahini, across the country. The collaborators were mainly tasked with assisting the military with information on the whereabouts of the freedom fighters, Awami League supporters, and non-Muslims and accompanying them during operations in localities to commit murders, rape, looting, and arson attacks. To save lives, over 10 million people took refuge in India and Myanmar. In contrast, hundreds of thousands of others were brutally killed at the hands of the Pakistani military and their collaborators before crossing the border.

On May 12, some 3,000 people of the Buddhist community from Ratna Palong, Bhalukia Palong, and Rumkha Palong villages in Ukhiya of Cox’sCox’s Bazar fled their homes and belongings on the holy night of Baishakhai Purnima, or Buddhist full moon, hours after the Pakistani military and Razakars launched a brutal attack. Several Buddhists were killed, while the houses were set on fire after extensive looting. The houses of some Muslim Awami League supporters were also torched.

During the attack, the villagers took shelter in the nearby bushes while others went to faraway places—only to watch the flames that engulfed their houses. The invaders first went to Rumkha Palong and then to Ratna Palong and Bhalukia Palong villages before moving towards Cox’s Bazar in the evening.

Most of those victims were wealthy and influential people in the area. But, after the attack, they became destitute as the attackers looted the food grains, gold, and cash before setting the houses on fire.

The houses and clothes of the people in this area resemble those of the Arakanese because the southern area of greater Chittagong was under Arakan (now Rakhine State) for thousands of years. As a single country, the movement of people was unhindered. Due to this, the houses of wealthy people in Cox’s Bazar district were made of teak wood and were mostly two-storey. The Bengali carpenters did not have the skill to build these houses. So, the local people used to hire Arakanese artisans. The signs are still there in Ramu of Cox’s Bazar, where the Buddhists had been living with the Bengali Muslims peacefully until the Pakistani troops launched the attack on May 12.

“As the darkness fell, the frightened Buddhists from the nearby villages began to gather in the yard of Yogendra Lal Sikdar’s house. Yogendra was fearless and influential among the Buddhists at that time. He also had close relations with the local administration and government. The villagers wanted his suggestions while describing their ordeals. Looking for a solution to save lives, the older people talked among themselves. They considered leaving the village for Myanmar’s Arakan State at midnight since it is a Buddhist-majority country,” Prof Jitendra Lal Barua wrote in his book Myanmar Arakan Theke Muktijuddho.

He recalls: “Some other young people and I were present but could not participate in the discussion too much. We requested that the seniors consider leaving behind at least one person to guard the homes that were not burned or looted yet. However, the older people did not accept the proposal. They asked all the villagers to gather at Yogendra’s house by midnight.

“On the way to Ratna Palong village, I saw a looting spree being carried out in all the houses that were left abandoned. Some looters were breaking down the houses, others were snatching away rice, and some were rustling with cows and goats.

“Human greed is a horror of lust: while one group was leaving their possessions running for safety, another group of self-interested people were scrambling like animals with the abandoned property.”

Born in Rumkha Palong in 1946, Dr Jitendra Lal completed his studies at Dhaka University. He later taught accounting in various government colleges and won gold medals twice as the best principal. He is also associated with different social and religious organizations.

“The caravan of around 3,000 people was moving forward while the full moon of the Baisakhi Purnima was in the sky, illuminating all around,” Prof Jitendra wrote in his book.

“In front were 10-12 men who know the road and a few armed men; in the middle are women and children; and at the end are the young men and a few armed men. They were moving forward one by one with great devotion and silence. After a while, we entered the hilly region, and the forest was getting deeper and deeper. There were no localities. Yogendra Sikdar had a farmhouse in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area. Some people from the farmhouse joined us as guides.

“This deep jungle beat even the light of the full moon. We had to cross the road by lighting torches in front, middle, and at the end, climb high hills, cross waterfalls, and sometimes take an uphill path. Some people in the caravan, mainly the children, women, and elderly, started to get scared.

“At one point, someone said we were crossing the border of East Pakistan. It was depressing for me; I was unsure whether I could return to my homeland again.”

As dawn broke, the caravan crossed the border and stopped at a secluded place where the people were asked to rest. Someone found a creek, while others started cooking rice.

“This is when we could see the faces of others and speak to each other. We started walking again after several hours,” the writer recalled.

“In the afternoon, we met some people in Dhaijya. They speak in the Chittagong dialect. We learned that these people were called the Rohingyas. We found some empty huts in the weekly market where the women and children sat down to rest. Some took refuge in nearby Rohingya homes, cattle sheds, and mustard oil mills. The older adults and the youths sat down in the field.

“When the news reached the nearby camp of the border security force, known as Nasaka, four or five armed men came to see us. They did not understand English or Bengali. We informed them about our situation through the Rohingya interpreters. Without saying anything to us, they went away with the Rohingyas.

“Finding no place to stay, we decided to spend the night in an empty field. Before evening, I chose a low lane in the middle of a paddy field and sat down without eating anything. The soil was our bed, and the aisle was our pillow. The full moon was in the sky. After talking for a while, I slept with my head on the aisle. I fell asleep immediately because I had been tired all day.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and saw many people sleeping with their heads on the aisle. There was no distinction between rich and poor, educated and uneducated—as if it were Karl Marx’s true socialism. Luckily, it didn’t rain. If it rained, there was no way to get wet. When I woke up the next morning, the problem was evident: due to a lack of restrooms, everyone had to go to the forest some distance away. Moreover, there was nothing except rice. So we had to cook to eat. But there were no shops; a market was held weekly when only kerosene, soap, and clothes were sold. No one sells spices and rice. If necessary, these commodities are obtained from the Rohingyas.”

At one point, the writer wrote, the older people leading the caravan were seen nowhere. Many of them took refuge in the cowsheds and oil mills of the Rohingyas. There were none from the authorities; only a Nasaka camp was near the locality inhabited by the Rakhines.

Those still together in the open field lost their hopes after two days as they started getting different opinions about a safe place to get food and shelter. Some decided to return home; some went to Dhehi Boinya near the Ghumdhum border, while others got scattered searching for shelter.

“Our family took refuge in an oil refinery. We were in touch with the relatives and learned that my maternal uncle went to Dhehi Boinya and built a temporary house. After receiving this news, my mother became restless to go there. A Rohingya agreed to go there as a guide.

“The following day, we had something to eat before starting our journey. We crossed forest after forest, some plain fields, small localities, and the forest again. At one point, I heard that we were near Dhehi Boinya.

“While walking through the forest, the leeches (predatory worms) jumped on our bodies to suck blood. We had to pull them off by hand, causing bleeding. The path was rough; we had to cross streams, uphills, and downhills. Our feet were tired of walking.

“We reached Dhehi Boinya a little before evening and forgot all the journey’s hardships after seeing a mini-Bangladesh there. We found our relatives, ordinary Muslims and local leaders of the Awami League, who went to Dhaijya with us. Everyone was making beautiful houses on the small hill.

“Nearby was a prosperous Rohingya village, and on the other side was a Rakhine village. There was also a Nasaka camp nearby. The Ghumdhum border was close to one kilometre from this place. One can easily go to Bangladesh by crossing the border on foot through the light forest. After eating at night, I fell asleep easily as my body was tired.”