Hili, Northern West Bengal, April 5
Thousands of helpless Muslim refugees who settled in Bengal at the time of partition are reported to have been massacred by angry Bengalis in East Pakistan during the past week.

The facts about the massacres were confirmed by Bihari Muslim refugees who crossed the border into India this week and by a young British technician who crossed the Indo-Pakistan frontier at Hili today- The technician who does not want to be identified because he has to return to Bengal, was trapped in the northern region of Bengal after the civil war erupted.

He said that hundreds of non-Bengali Muslims must have died in the north-western town of Dinajpur alone after victorious Bengalis there drove the Punjab regiment out of the town last week.

"After the soldiers left, the mobs set upon the non-Bengali Muslims from Bihar. I don't know how many died, but I could hear the screams throughout the night he said. Later, the police and the Awami league were able to restore order and camps were set up to protect the non-Bengali minority community which has cultural links with West Pakistan.

In other parts of the region, he said, Biharis had been rounded up and were being held as hostages against the lives of the estimated 400,000 Bengali settlers who are stranded in West Pakistan.

Thousands of non-Bengalis have already been evacuated by boat to West Pakistan from the turbulent eastern wing, and in the western province where communal trouble erupted last month, a vast number of terrified Bengalis are queueing for air arid sea passages back to their home province.

The British technician also confirmed hitherto unsubstantiated reports that the Army has been routed in most of the big towns of the northern regions.

The technician, who was near Dinajpur at the time of the massacre, said that he could feel the tension begin to mount the moment that President Yahya Khan reimposed martial law.

"There had been no trouble or rioting in the area until then", he said. "But on the Friday morning the Army took up positions. There were about 500 members of the Punjab Regiment and about the same number of men from the East Pakistan Rifles stationed in the town.

"We all knew that the East Pakistan Rifles were about to mutiny."

On Sunday afternoon, the Bengali troops in the East Pakistan Rifles lines rebelled and firing broke out between the Army and the police. By Monday night the Army began to suffer heavy casualties and retreated from the town.

The British technician said: "I don't know what happened to the Army's wounded but there is no denying the fact that the Punjabis had raped women and looted houses before this and the people were angry."


Rawalpindi: President Yahya Khan today told the Soviet Union that, for any power to support or condone interference in the internal affairs of any other country, would be a negation of the United Nations Charter. He said the situation in East Pakistan was well under control.


New York: Pakistan protested to U Thant, the United Nations Secretary-General, tonight over India's "interference" in Pakistan internal affairs.

David Wood, Political Editor, writes: Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said in the Commons yesterday that the Government would use every influence they could to secure a cease-fire in Pakistan.

He added: " We are deeply concerned about the division of Pakistan and feel it should be ended. It will not be ended by external intervention, though it may be helped by private advice."

Mr- Denis Healey, from the Opposition front bench, called for an immediate end to bloodshed and a peaceful solution to the political problems of East Pakistan " in accordance with the wishes of the people of that territory, expressed with such remarkable unanimity in the recent election”.

Sir Alec answered: " We will use any influence we have to make clear our hope that bloodshed will he ended as soon as possible. There have been elections. Lately there was the intention to call together an Assembly to frame a constitution. We hope this process cart he resumed."

More than 160 M-P.s of all parties signed a Commons motion last night calling on the Government to use its influence to secure a cease-fire in East Pakistan. The motion, tabled by Mr. Douglas-Mann (Lab., N. Kensington) had the backing of several former Labour Ministers and some Conservatives, including Mr. Nigel Fisher (Surbiton), Mr. Hugh Fraser (Stafford and Stone), Mr. Airey Neave (Abingdon), and Mr. Norman St John-Stevas (Chelmsford).


Our Diplomatic Correspondent writes: All, or almost all, of the British subjects who wish to be evacuated from East Pakistan have now left.
Bengal divided, and photograph, page 8