The 147 men of the company, quickly disarmed some 500 Bengali policemen without meeting any resistance and then occupied four additional key points, the district police headquarters, the government office building, the VHP radio transmitter and the Zilla School for boys.

Most of the sleeping townspeople did not realize what had happened until 5:30 a.m., when Jeeploads of soldiers with bullhorns drove through the empty streets announcing that a total curfew was to begin 30 minutes later.

Kushtia remained calm for 48 hours while the curfew was in effect, although seven persons—mostly peasants who arrived in town unaware of what had happened—were shot to death for being found in the streets.

Then, fanning out to nearby villages with all the .303 Enfield Rifles and ammunition they could carry, the policemen joined forces with 100 college students.

The students were teaching guerrilla warfare to local peasants, who were armed only with hatchets, farm tools and bamboo staves.

Shortly before dawn the next day, about 75 soldiers made a dash for their jeeps and trucks and roared away in a blaze of gunfire.

Among the West Pakistani dead was Nassim Waquer, a 29-year-old Punjabi who last January had been appointed assistant deputy commissioner at Kushtia.