13:45

Beyazıt Square

The massacre targeting Istanbul University students on March 16, 1978, was not a random act of violence but a pre-planned conspiracy. Days before the incident, intelligence reports reached the police department warning that "dynamite would be thrown at leftist students," yet no precautions were taken. On the day of the attack, the usual police protection was withdrawn under the pretext of "other duties." Students were forced to exit the university’s main gate into Beyazıt Square in a group, making them vulnerable targets.

TNT

Bombing and Assault

As soon as the students exited, attackers from within right-wing groups threw American-made TNT bombs—registered in the NATO inventory—into the crowd while shouting "Down with communists." Immediately after the explosion, a volley of gunfire was opened on the defenseless students. This brutal attack resulted in the deaths of 7 students and left 41 others seriously injured. The fact that the police chief on the scene, Reşat Altay, ordered officers who wanted to pursue the attackers to "stop" revealed the internal state cooperation in the organization of the assault.

VICTIMS

Confessions and Coordination

Evidence proved that the names behind the massacre were directly linked to the MHP and the Grey Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları). Years later, it was revealed that Abdullah Çatlı supplied the bombs and Zülküf İsot was the individual who threw them. The name of police officer Reşat Altay continued to appear in connection with similar negligence in later dark events, such as the Gazi Massacre and the Hrant Dink assassination. The limited number of defendants tried in the case were acquitted through lack of evidence or political interference, fostering a culture of impunity.

STATE

COMPLICITY

Despite decades of legal struggle and the emergence of new evidence, the March 16 Massacre case was closed in 2008 during the AKP government’s term on the grounds of the statute of limitations. This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 2010. This massacre went down in history as one of the bloodiest links in the counter-guerrilla activities designed to drag society into chaos and create the image that the "state had lost control," thereby preparing the ground for the September 12, 1980, military coup.