May 23, 1971 remains one of the darkest days in the history of Itna village in Lohagara upazila of Narail. On this day during the Liberation War, Pakistani occupation forces and their local Razakar collaborators carried out a brutal massacre in the village, killing 39 innocent people.
The attackers set fire to homes, opened indiscriminate gunfire, and burned many bodies after the killings. Among those killed were Hiru Master, Safi Uddin Molya, Tobi Sheikh, Hadi Sikder, and Nalu Khan.
Even after 55 years of independence, families of the victims say they have not received official state recognition. No memorial has been built at the massacre site, and the mass graves remain largely unprotected. Apart from a few nameplates, there is little to preserve the memory of the genocide.
Historical accounts show that Itna and nearby Charbhat Para villages, located along the Madhumati River, were important locations for freedom fighters during the Liberation War. Due to their strategic location, freedom fighters from surrounding areas often organized attacks against Pakistani forces from these villages.
On May 22, 1971, Pakistani soldiers launched an attack on Charbhat Para using gunboats and set houses on fire. During the attack, local resident Anil Kapali reportedly snatched a rifle from a Pakistani soldier and threw it into the river before escaping to Itna village. After learning about the incident, Pakistani forces planned a retaliatory attack on Itna.
According to local accounts, at dawn on May 23, Pakistani troops and Razakars entered Itna village by boat during the Fajr azan and carried out the massacre. Men, women, and children were killed indiscriminately.
After the attack, the village became deserted. Fear spread across the area, and there was initially no one to bury the victims. Later, relatives buried the bodies before fleeing to safer places.
Locals say the massacre remains an unforgettable chapter in the history of the Liberation War in Narail. However, frustration continues to grow over the lack of official recognition and preservation efforts.
In 1994, the names of those killed were displayed on signboards beside two roads in Itna village through the initiative of the late Firoz Ahmed, then general secretary of Itna Public Library. Since then, Itna Genocide Day has been observed annually on May 23.
This year, the Lohagara Journalists’ Association has organized a memorial discussion and prayer mahfil at 1 pm on Saturday at the Lohagara Press Club in remembrance of the victims of the 1971 massacre.
