Operation Searchlight: A US resolution is putting the 1971 Bengali Hindu genocide back in focus

Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman’s proposal seeks formal US recognition of killings of Bengali Hindus, triggers fresh focus on one of South Asia’s most contested mass atrocities

• US lawmaker urges 1971 Bangladesh atrocities be termed genocide
• Resolution condemns violence against Bengali Hindus, minorities
• If adopted, it would mark a shift in US stance on 1971 events

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A Democratic lawmaker in the United States has introduced a formal resolution in the House of Representatives seeking official recognition of the 1971 atrocities in Bangladesh as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The resolution, moved by Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman on March 21, has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the first step in a process that could eventually shape an official US position on one of the twentieth century’s most contested mass killings.

If adopted, it would mark a significant shift in Washington’s historical stance, which has never formally classified the events of 1971 as genocide.

What the resolution says

The resolution directly addresses the actions of the Pakistani military and its Islamist allies during the Bangladesh Liberation War, using unusually explicit language.

It states that Pakistani forces “indiscriminately mass-murdered ethnic Bengalis regardless of religion and gender,” while also accusing them of targeting Bengali Hindus for extermination through “mass slaughtering, gangrape, conversion, and forcible expulsion.”

It further names groups inspired by Jamaat-e-Islami as active collaborators, highlighting their role in identifying and targeting civilians.

The proposal calls on both the US House and the President to formally recognise these acts as genocide and crimes against humanity — with a specific emphasis on violence against Hindu minorities.

Operation Searchlight: the trigger point

At the centre of the resolution is Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani military’s crackdown launched on the night of March 25, 1971.

The operation began with the arrest of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose Awami League had won a decisive electoral mandate that Pakistan’s military leadership refused to honour.

Within hours, coordinated military action unfolded across East Pakistan, with Dhaka witnessing some of the earliest and most intense violence.

Troops targeted university campuses, political leaders, intellectuals, and densely populated Hindu neighbourhoods. Survivors and historical records describe a campaign that was planned in advance, with pre-identified targets and systematic execution.

What began as a crackdown soon expanded into a months-long campaign of violence that lasted until Pakistan’s surrender in December 1971.

Role of militias and targeted killings

The Pakistani Army operated alongside auxiliary forces, including Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias, many of whom were aligned with Islamist political groups.

These militias played a key role in identifying targets and carrying out killings, particularly in the final phase of the conflict.

The systematic elimination of intellectuals, often referred to as the Intellectual Massacre of 1971, remains one of the most documented aspects of this collaboration.

The resolution explicitly names these groups, placing their role at the centre of the case for genocide recognition.

Death toll and displacement: a contested history

The scale of the killings remains disputed.

Bangladesh’s official estimates put the death toll at around three million, while Pakistani investigations and some Western academic studies suggest a lower range of 300,000 to 500,000. Independent scholars often place the figure somewhere between these estimates.

What is less disputed is the scale of displacement. Nearly 10 million people fled East Pakistan during the conflict, many crossing into India.

Historians widely agree that Bengali Hindus, who made up roughly one-fifth of the population, were disproportionately targeted.

The Blood Telegram: early US dissent

The resolution also draws on a key episode in US diplomatic history, the “Blood Telegram.”

On March 28, 1971, Archer Blood, then US Consul General in Dhaka, warned Washington that the violence amounted to “selective genocide.”

Days later, he led a rare formal dissent signed by US officials criticising the American government’s silence, stating that the term genocide was applicable to the unfolding crisis.

Despite these warnings, the US government did not intervene or formally characterise the events as genocide at the time.

Who is Greg Landsman

Greg Landsman, who represents Ohio’s first congressional district, was elected to the US House in 2022.

Before entering Congress, he served on the Cincinnati City Council and built a profile around education, poverty and social policy. Since taking office, he has also been vocal on human rights issues.

While his office has not issued a detailed public statement beyond the resolution, the move has already drawn attention from Bangladeshi diaspora groups and advocacy organisations in the United States.