BDR Mutiny in Bangladesh

657 BGB men jailed on mutiny charges

2011-06-27T20:51:00.003+06:00

657 jawans of 24 Battalion of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Monday sentenced to prison terms ranging from four months to seven years for their involvement in the February 2009 mutiny in Pilkhana headquarters.

A BGB special court acquitted nine of others as allegations against them were not proved.

BGB Director General Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam, head of the Special Court-7, fined each of the convicts Tk 100.

Of the convicts, 108 were handed highest seven years’ jail. Nine were awarded six years, five eight years, three four years and six months, 26 four years, 57 three years and six months, 52 three years, 18 two years and six months, 82 two years, 55 one year and six months, two one year and three months, and 67 one year imprisonment.

Besides, 34 were handed nine months’ jail, 47 six months and the rest 89 four months’ jail.

The court started delivering the judgment at about 10:15am and finished at 1:19pm.

Total 666 out of the 667 accused were produced before the court set up at Pilkhana headquarters in the capital. The other accused died of ‘heart attack’.

Of the accused, 31 confessed to their involvement with the mutiny while the rest pleaded themselves innocent.

The court began the trial proceedings against 667 accused on March 31 last year.

The BGB jawans were convicted on various charges including leaving the Darbar Hall defying the director general’s order, not desisting the rebels from the mutiny, not informing the higher authorities about the mutiny and taking part and expressing solidarity with the mutineers who killed 74 people, including 57 army officials.

Tk 50,000 bounty on each fugitive BDR man

2009-04-08T18:25:00.002+06:00

Around 950 jawans still absconding

The government has announced Tk 50,000 bounty for handing over to the authorities each fugitive Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) member suspected of involvement in the February 25-26 mutiny and carnage at the BDR headquarters in the capital.

According to a press release of the home ministry yesterday, Tk 50,000 would be awarded to a person who would hand over to a nearby police station or a law enforcement agency an absconding BDR member suspected to have been involved in the massacre

Identity of the person would be kept secret, it said.

Meanwhile, the BDR authorities are yet to prepare a complete list of the fugitive BDR personnel.

Asked about the bounty, BDR Director General Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam however said, "I do not yet know about the announcement of bounty regarding absconding BDR personnel."

In reply to a question, he said a complete list of the fugitives is still to be prepared.

But Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sources said around 950 BDR members are still absconding.

Earlier, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said the government would publish a book containing photographs and other information on the fugitive BDR men, and copies of the book would be given to all district and upazila authorities, police stations, and law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The BDR mutiny left 74 people, including 57 army officers deputed to the border force, massacred.

The CID is investigating the carnage case while a government-formed committee is probing the incident. Besides, the army is conducting an enquiry.

Meanwhile, two more BDR members yesterday confessed their involvement in the mutiny, and were sent to jail while two civilians arrested earlier were placed on a four-day remand.

The case was shifted to New Market Police Station from Lalbagh police yesterday as the place of occurrence (PO) is in New Market area.

A total of 25 BDR jawans so far confessed their involvement in the mutiny.

CID sources said the two civilians-- shoe trader Delwar Hossain and cosmetic trader Mohammad Sumon-- were arrested under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code for allegedly making provocative statements on February 25-26.

So far, 165 BDR personnel and civilians have been placed on remand and 920 BDR jawans shown arrested in the case.

Don't help others to paint Bangladesh as a terrorist country!

2009-03-19T15:47:00.003+06:00

Commerce Minister Col (retd) Faruq Khan who has been working as the coordinator of the inquiry into the February 25-26 carnage at the BDR headquarters has stated that outlawed militant outfit Jamiyatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) had links to the same.

The statement made by Col Faruq, who is otherwise considered moderate on Thursday was ahead of completion of investigation by the government appointed committee, the one by the criminal investigation department (CID) and another by the army. Many have termed the statement premature.

Not only that, many others complained that he was trying to influence the investigation along a political line. It is possible that he did not mean that.

Faruq Khan's suggestion came a couple of days after the CID, as per press reports, dismissed the possibility of any militant links to the mutiny that apparently was designed to cripple the 70,000-strong force that guarded more than 4000 kilometres of Bangladesh borders.

Another investigation conducted by the military has so far also reportedly not found any links to the involvement of the militant organisation that made its presence felt by setting off synchronised blasts at 63 of 64 district towns on 17 August 2005. Its kingpins have since been hauled up and executed through the due process of law.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told The New York Times that grenades and bullets were chasing her ever since the August 21 grenade attack on her rally at Bangabandhu Avenue in 2004.

"Hasina called the mutiny "a big conspiracy" against her agenda to establish a secular democracy in this Muslim-majority nation of 150 million. She struck a note of defiant resolve.

"She said she was keen to hunt down and punish those responsible for the mutiny. She suggested that several factions unhappy with her agenda could have been responsible, including Islamist militants, whom she has vowed to crush.

"There are many elements," she said in her first extensive interview since the Feb. 25 siege. "These terrorist groups are very much active. This incident gives us a lesson. It can happen again," The New York Times reported.

Syed Ashraful Islam, the Awami League party spokesman, on the other hand, told journalists that the government would not make any comment that might influence the inquiries that are now on. He sounds reasonable.

Even if links to JMB or any other militant organisation were found through the three inquiries, the people concerned should have been well advised to refrain from making any disclosure before the investigations were over or do so only if the investigations gave conclusive proofs of such involvement.

But the statement about JMB involvement which has been repeated by the commerce minister has the potential to serve two serious blows to the country's interests : 1) Give the security forces a bad name that might undermine their international reputation and consequently, lead to the closure of the door of the UN Peacekeeping Forces for them; and 2) give Bangladesh's enemies a weapon to use at will for branding it as a terrorist nation and isolate it for badly needed foreign investment.

The second part of the statement of Col (retd) Faruq Khan that those involved in the mutiny were recruited during the rule of the BNP-led government may be well understood as a move to give part of the blame to the political opposition. But first part of the statement, if not supported by evidence, would only cause serious harm from which it would be difficult for the country to recover.

The ministry of home affairs yesterday presented a report on 12 militant organisations to the Cabinet, Tanzim Ahmed Sohel Taj, state minister of the ministry, told newsmen. Some of these organisations are still operating the report indicated, he said.

The state minister said that the government would examine if these organisations have international or political links and also where from their funding support comes. Needless to say, this is a good initiative. But cheap statements would lead investigations to nowhere.

At this hour of national crisis when the foundation of the vital security forces have been shaken and the entire nation is in a state of uncertainty, important functionaries of the government should better use their judgement and not party politics and avoid the creation of misgivings that can only do harm to the nation.

We have foreign financed NGOs which have been too busy to project Bangladesh as a terrorist-infested country. Even a failed state. In any view of the matter JMB is not a big terrorist outfit to pose a threat for the country's security forces. There are more vicious left-oriented terrorist forces which are more powerful and these forces must not be overlooked just because there are some who are too eager to find Islamist terrorists in Bangladesh.

Thirty-six Hours in Hell

2009-03-14T17:27:00.005+06:00

True Story of a Captive Family

Lt Col. Elahi Manzoor Chowdhury, Assistant Adjutant General at BDR Headquarters, is among the slain soldiers whose remains have not been identified. His wife Tanni Yafta Chowdhury has been combing the pilkhana and the hospitals for her husband's body. She spoke to her husband at 10.30 AM on the morning of the mutiny. Shortly afterwards, she herself was taken hostage. Tanni Chowdhury spoke to Syed Zain Al-Mahmood of The Daily Star about her horrific nightmare.

Late Lt Col. Elahi Manzoor Chowdhury with his family.

When did you first become aware of the mutiny? Can you describe that morning?
At around 9.15 AM I got a call on my cell phone. It was my husband. "There has been trouble, he said. The jawans are shooting. Close all doors and windows. Don't come out." I was very frightened. By then I could hear gunfire. He called again a few minutes later. "A lot of officers have been killed. I am taking cover in the bathroom." I started to call my relatives and my husband's colleagues. Help is coming, I was told. Every second seemed like an eternity.

Did you hear from him again?
Yes, he called at around 10.30 AM. He said, "They're coming. Amar jonno dua koro. Ar dekha hobe na." Then the connection was lost. My husband was Asst. adjutant general -- he had nothing to do with the jawans. I hoped against hope that they would spare him. But that's was not to be.

Did you try to save him by calling for help?
I tried calling everyone I could think of. I was told that help was on its way. I kept praying for the sound of the army rolling in. But nothing happened. I don't understand why it would take so long for troops to get to the pilkhana from the cantonment? Does it take hours? You tell me?

What happened next?
Around 11.30 there was loud knocking on the door. I didn't want to open up, but they said they would shoot. I opened the door and four jawans came in with rifles at the ready. They pointed their weapons and asked for my husband. I said he was at the office. They took me and my children to the Quarter Guard where we were held with a number of other families.

Please describe how you were treated?
There were clearly two groups. One group had their faces uncovered, and treated us well. They gave us water when we asked for it. The other group came now and then. They covered their faces with red cloth and seemed very violent. They said things like, You've lived in air conditioning all your life. How does this feel?

What happened then?
I lost track of time. It was dark. At one point, the guards suddenly went out. I think it was after midnight. I heard voices. It was the Home Minister Sahara Khatun speaking. I couldn't clearly make out the words, but we were very hopeful. I heard the BDR jawans clapping. Then she asked them to hand in their weapons. "Apnara nij dayitte ostro joma diye den". A few minutes later the guards came back and sat down facing us.

Were you hopeful that you would be rescued?
Very much so. She was right outside. One Bhabi had a 4 month old baby who was crying. Elderly people were coughing. We were sure she could hear us. But she never came in. I later heard she rescued two families from the residential quarters and went away.

When were you finally rescued?
It was in the afternoon of Thursday.

Please tell us your thoughts at this point.
Look, my husband was on three UN missions. Liberia, Kuwait and Ivory Coast. I used to be so afraid for him. But he came back unharmed. His country men did to him what foreign soldiers did not do.

I have only one wish now -- that we should know the truth. His killers should be punished.

Leaked audio of Senakunjo meeting

2009-03-09T19:27:00.004+06:00

Following is a link of the much sought leaked audio recording of PM and Army meeting on 1st March.

http://leakedaudio.blogspot.com

Days Get Darker For Their Relatives

2009-03-07T20:52:00.002+06:00

Wife of a BDR jawan crying on the feet of a policeman on duty to know whereabouts of her detained husband

Relatives of BDR jawans looking for their kith andkin at gate No. 5 of the BDR Headquarters

Shireen Begum, waiting outside the BDR headquarters, every moment is unbearable. Her husband reported to work after a government summon, just days after the shocking revolt that saw a huge pile of dead bodies. But, after the killing of the officers and the discovery of mass graves, another tale of woe is unfolding. Like Shireen, many wives, sisters and mothers wait outside anxiously to know about the state of the men in their families who are also members of the BDR.

Their concern is understandable since the government has declared that anyone found to be linked directly to the mutiny and responsible for the mindless killings of unarmed officers will be punished.

Though it has been established that many of the BDR men reporting back to duty had no part in the killings, there is a sense of trepidation among their relatives over the possibility of a major retribution that may not leave out the innocent or those who were compelled to take part in the mutiny in the face of weapons.

"Today is the sixth day of the month and I haven't been able to manage my 10-month old baby's food, house rent or tuition fees for my four school-going children yet," Shireen, wife of BDR lance naik Jainal Hossain says in front of BDR Sat Masjid Road gate.

"Allah alone knows how we are surviving since my husband reported back here at the BDR headquarters. No-one has bothered to tell us if he's alive either. Even jailbirds get to see their folks," adds Shireen, her eyes teary and voice laden with sadness.

Some of the salvos which landed before the Prime Minister during her meeting with army officials on 1 March at Senakunja

2009-03-07T01:49:00.008+06:00

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's exchange of views with the Army officials at Senakunja has calmed the angry outburst of the officials following the brutal killings in the BDR mutiny at the Peelkhana. She has been able to accomplish such a task as she was the daughter of the Bangabandhu. She has necessary courage to face adverse situation and the BDR mutiny and its aftermath.

Some of the salvos which landed before the Prime Minister was :

(1) Why the character of the Army was assassinated in some of the media?

(2) We came to know that you (Prime Minister) were scheduled to attend a BDR dinner at Peelkhana on February 22. You are advised not to attend the dinner on February 22. Instead you attended it on February 24 just preceding February 25 mutiny. What was the contradiction behind these.

(3) In the Jatiya Sangsad a ruling party MP said, the majors, lieutenants and colonels will see the consequences for their involvement in the persecution of the politicians. If that is so, what punishment she will mete out to the attackers.

(4) The Home Minister rescued a handful of family members of the Army Officials who were taken hostage at the Quarterguard. Hundreds of bereaved family members of the Army officials who were kept confined in the Quarterguard cells remained unattended from anybody from the government side. Their agony was prolonged as the Government functionaries having access at the BDR headquarters during the mutiny remained surrounded by the BDR rebels. The Home Minister left the scene of the mutiny taking only 25 weapons.

(5) The lives of the injured officials could have been saved if timely intervention of the Army and Air Force was allowed.

(6) Who have preached canard against the Army?

(7) It was told that BDR Chief Major General Shakil Ahmed telephoned you to save their lives as they were being attacked by the BDR mutineers. She could not save his life being in the highest executive position of the country.

(8) What would have been the condition of the country after one/eleven if Army was not there and acted timely?

(9) We are being subjected to humiliation by the MPs in the House. What were our faults, ask the aggrieved army officials.

(10) The civilians who brought out procession in support of the rebels must be identified.

(11) We, the 168 Army officials, could not come out from the BDR headquarters during the mutiny but the 7000 mutineers fled the scene on a single night. Who gave them the opportunity to come out from the Peelkhana? You must find them out.

(12) Why the Army was politicised?

(13) An Army official who was denied promotion by his seniors was appointed Deputy Commandant of a certain regiment. Why should there be political intervention in the routine service matters of the army officials.

(14) They demanded thorough inquiry into the intelligence failure to dig out reasons of the mutiny before it broke out. The contents of the view-exchange meeting of the Army officials was transmitted in an audio internet.

Col. Gulzar Uddin Ahmed still missing

2009-03-07T01:45:00.002+06:00

The body of Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, former Additional Director General of RAB and Additional Director General of BDR, could not be traced even 10 days after the BDR mutiny. While in RAB, Col Gulzar rose to fame for his outstanding success in breaking the network of the extremist Islamic outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), nabbing nearly 1000 JMB members and its six top brasses who were given capital punishment.

The fate of Col Gulzar is still shrouded in mystery. Law enforcement agencies suspect that the mutineers may have burnt the body of Col Gulzar outside the BDR headquarters after gunning him down. These agencies do not rule out the possibility of the involvement of the extreme Islamic jehadis belonging to JMB in the mutiny.

Grieving family members form human chain

2009-03-07T01:35:00.003+06:00

The children of the Army officials killed in the BDRmutiny thronged at the Jahangir Gate of the cantonmentdemanding trial of the killer mutineers.

Grieving families of the army officers slain in the Feb 25-26 BDR mutiny formed a human chain and offered prayer for the salvation of their beloved ones in the capital yesterday.

The bereaved families have formed the human chain in front of the Jahangir gate of the Dhaka Cantonment near Farmgate after Juma prayer in demand of fair investigation into the dreadful incident and exemplary punishment of the responsible for the heinous carnage.

Earlier, the mourners offered prayers for the departed souls of their dear and near ones at the Banani graveyard where many of the slain army officers were laid to eternal rest. Hundreds of the victim families' members including wives, children and relatives of the slain army officers took part in the human chain yesterday, when they burst into tears, memorizing eventful lives of the martyred army officers that led a sombre atmosphere there.

During the human chain, they also demanded of the government to find out the conspirators behind the massacre.

The grief-stricken family members said fair investigation should be a national demand and sought support of the people from all strata of the society in realising the demand.

Meanwhile, a mourning rally was brought out by the retired army officers in the city's Baridhara area demanding immediate trial of the perpetrators and mastermind of the mass killing.

100 mutineers identified from video footage

2009-03-06T13:16:00.007+06:00

Investigators have identified over 100 BDR mutineers by combing through television footage and newspaper photographs, an army officer told on Thursday. Another officer, who gave his name as Major Imran, has said investigators have been analysing the media coverage of the mutiny and have established many of the mutineers' identities. One of those identified was Abdur Rahman Nilu, whose father was arrested in Bogra Wednesday with gold and cash allegedly looted from officers' homes during the Feb 25-26 mutiny at the BDR's Peelkhana headquarters.

DAD Towhid four other rebellion suspects arrested

2009-03-04T03:17:00.006+06:00

Five BDR personnel arrested at the Hazaribagh sweepers’ colony in Dhaka are presented before the journalists at the RAB-1 office in Dhaka on Tuesday. From left…Sepoy Zakir, Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Rahim, DAD Towhid, Havilder Azad and Nayek Firoz.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday in a news conference claimed that it arrested five BDR mutineers, including two of the suspected leaders, and exhibited them to the media.
At a media briefing in the Rab headquarters last evening, Col Reza-nur Rahman, additional director general of Rab, said they arrested Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) of BDR Syed Towhidul Alam and four others in the afternoon from a house in Hazaribagh of the capital.
But, Rab's claim gave rise to a confusion, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday informed the parliament that Towhid had already been arrested.
Meanwhile, police kept 18 other BDR personnel confined in Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital.
Neither police nor Rab however were willing to declare them as arrestees.
Hailing from Raipura village under Nolchhiti upazila of Jhalokathi district, DAD Towhid led the 14-member mutineers' negotiating team to the Prime Minister's residence Jamuna.
According to Rab, the four other arrestees are DAD Mohammad Abdur Rahim of Nabinagar upazila in Brhmman Baria, Habilder Azad Ali of Domar upazila in Nilphamari district, Nayek Mohammad Firoj Ahmed of Barisal, and Jawan Mohammad Zakir Hossain of Nandail upazila in Mymensingh.
During the briefing, Nayek Firoj shouted out, "Sir, I was not arrested, I surrendered," prompting Rab officials to declare the briefing over, right away.
Of the five arrested BDR personnel, the names of DADs Towhid and Rahim are mentioned as principal accused in the case filed by Lalbagh Police Station Officer-in-charge Nobojyoti Khisa in connection with the mutiny.
The case accuses over 1,000 BDR soldiers, specially mentioning the names of five junior commissioned (JCO) officers and a sepoy, including the names of Towhid and Abdur Rahim.
The three other named JCOs are DADs Abdul Jalil, Nasiruddin Khan, and Mirza Habibur Rahman, while the specially mentioned accused sepoy is Jawan Selim.
At the end of yesterday's media briefing, Commander SMAK Azad, director of the legal and media wing of Rab, said the arrested five will be handed over to Lalbagh police, and later they will be forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
CID is the main investigator of the case, and Rab, Bangladesh Army and other government agencies are assisting it, Commander Azad said.
Meanwhile, no one is being allowed to see the 18 BDR personnel including suspected leader DAD Abdul Jalil, confined in Holy Family Hospital in total isolation in one room.
Talking to The Daily Star on February 25, Jalil said he was one of the members of the 14-member mutineers' negotiation team.
Jalil was taken to Holly Family Hospital on February 25 night by rescuers of the Red Crescent Society.
He said he had no bullet wound, but was severely sick.
Abdul Kahar Akond, senior assistant superintended of police (ASP) of CID, who is leading the police investigation, told The Daily Star, "We are still collecting evidence from the crime scene."
Asked about the arrest of the 18 BDR personnel in the hospital, he declined to make any comment.
Replying to another question, ASP Akond said all three probe committees are exchanging information.
Meanwhile, Rab-4 recovered seventy rounds of live bullets from Gonoktuli Sweepers' Colony in Hazaribagh yesterday.

Operation Rebel Hunt won’t harass innocent: army HQ

The army headquarters on Tuesday assured concerned people that no innocent person would be harassed during Operation Rebel Hunt, launched to identify and nab the rebels involved in the February 25 and 26 massacre in the Bangladesh Rifles’ headquarters.

‘The name of the operation itself is self-explanatory. The operation is being conducted only to identify and catch the BDR rebels,’ said Brigadier General Ziaul Hasan, the director of Military Operations, at a press conference in the army headquarters on Tuesday.

He said no innocent person would be harassed during the operation. ‘There is no such intention,’ said Ziaul, adding that the army would cross-check information before making any arrest.

Operation Rebel Hunt launched: Army reaching field level

2009-03-04T03:06:00.006+06:00

Army movement in Barisal city on Monday as theOperation Rebel Hunt launched.

"Operation Rebel Hunt", has been launched throughout the country from yesterday to nab the absconding BDR rebels who have fled the Peelkhana headquarters after a mutiny that left nearly 137 army officers killed.The hunt, in which the army, police and elite force RAB will take part, also aims at recovering the missing firearms and ammunition from the arsenal of the BDR headquarters since the revolt.

Nearly 70 army officers are still missing and they were feared to have been killed. About 169 army officers were at the BDR headquarters when the mutiny, most tragic and worst in living history, broke out on February 25 and ended on February 26.

Five unidentified and highly decomposed bodies of the army officials were sent to the forensic department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital for DNA to ascertain their identity. There were nearly 9,000 BDR personnel at the BDR headquarters at the time of revolt. All of them fled the headquarters either with arms or leaving them behind soon after the call of the prime minister to the rebels to surrender their arms on February 26.About 1,000 fugitive BDR men have so far reported to the headquarters, nearest camps and police stations before the expiry the deadline for their surrender at 5 pm on March 1.

Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun yesterday said army has been called out to hunt down the BDR troops who fled the BDR Headquarters during or after the February 25-26 mutiny.

Talking to reporters at her ministry, she said the army will stay at the field until the hiding BDR men are netted. The Home Minister said the army along with police and RAB would hunt down the BDR rebels and recover firearms missing after the mutiny.

Police recovered a sub-machine gun, two grenades, a walkie-talkie and 150 rounds of ammunition from the surroundings of the BDR heaquarters on Sunday and Monday. The arms were abandoned by the fleeing BDR mutineers, police said. Hazaribagh police sub-inspector Ismail Hossain said they recovered the grenades, 70 rounds of SMG ammunition and a pistol magazine holding seven rounds of bullets from behind a school beside the Peelkhana boundary wall on Monday. On Sunday night, they recovered the SMG rifle loaded with 60 rounds of cartridges from a premise of a residential house near the headquarters and the walkie-talkie from a street at Charakghata adjacent to the headquarters. ASP Abdul Kahar Akando, who is heading a 47-member CID team, visited the BDR headquarters yesterday for collecting information. The team also gathered some evidences from the spot.

President Zillur Rahman was among the huge crowd, which gathered at the army parade ground yesterday for the janaza of 50 slain army officers including the BDR chief and his wife.

The government said that it will set up a special tribunal to try those behind the killing spree during the mutiny at the BDR headquarters. The punishment for the guilty is death sentence.Retired civil servant Anisuzzaman Khan will now head the 11-member BDR mutiny probe body.The probe body comprises senior army , police and civil officers.

The names of the home minister and the state minister for law have been dropped from the new probe body. Earlier, a seven-member BDR mutiny probe body was constituted with the home minister as its head.

Police have no record about the BDR personnel who have crossed the border after fleeing from the BDR headquarters and other camps close on the heels of the mutiny. But 700 to 800 rebel BDR men might have crossed the border, informed sources said.

Farewell in tears: Martyred Army officers given state funeral

2009-03-04T02:37:00.005+06:00

Bodies of Army officers being taken to NationalParade Square for funeral: People from all strata of lifetake part at the Janaza of the martyrs: President ZillurRahman, chiefs of three services were present.

Three fighters of the Air Force showing respect tothe martyred Army officials by fly-past over the NationalParade Square on Monday.

Namaj-e Janaza of 50 victims including BDR Director General Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed and his wife Nazneen Shakil of the bloody BDR mutiny was held at National Parade Ground in the capital early yesterday amid state ceremonies.

President, Deputy Speaker of the parliament, the cabinet members, chiefs of the three armed forces, grieving families, lawmakers, retired army officers, freedom fighters, politicians, members of the civil society and hundreds of people participated in Namaj-e Janaza. They witnessed a memorial parade for the 50 victims including 48 army officers, DG's wife and a solider slain in the heinous massacre by the BDR mutineers on Feb 25-26 at the BDR headquarters in the city. Khatib of the army central mosque in Dhaka Cantonment, Md Mahmudul Haque, conducted the prayers at around 10:45am at the National Parade Ground.Later, President Zillur Rahman, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, military secretary on behalf of the Prime Minister, Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed, Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed and Air Chief Air-Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman placed floral wreaths on coffins of the deceaseds.

Earlier, the deceaseds were brought to the Parade Ground in army lorries and placed on decorated podiums. Family members and relatives of the deceased burst into tears during the funeral function that created a sombre atmosphere there.

42 bodies were laid to eternal rest at Banani graveyard while eight others were buried at their respective native villages with state honours amid a sombre farewell.In the funeral function, a 21-gun salute and flying salute by three fighter aircrafts were given in respect to the martyred.

Apart from DG of the BDR Maj General Shakil Ahmed and his wife Nazneen Shakil Shipu, the 47 other buried army officers and the soldier are: Brig General M Abdul Bari, Brig General M Zakir Hoassain, Col Mujibul Huq, Col M Anisuzzaman, Col M Mosiur Rahman, Col Kudrat Ilahi Rahman Shafiq, Col M Akhter Hossain, Col M Rezaul Kabir, Col Nafizuddin Ahmed, Col Kazi Emdadul Haq, Col Samsul Arefin Ahmed, ColM Nakibur Rahman, Col Kazi Moazzem Hossain, Col M Shawkat Imam, Col M Emdadul Islam, Col M Aftabul Islam, Lt Col Enshad Ibn Amin, Lt Col Enayetul Huq, Lt Col Golam Kibria, Lt Col Shamsul Azam, Lt Col M Badrul Huda, Lt Col M Saiful Islam, Lt Col M Lutfar Rahman, Lt Col M Sajjadur Rahman, Lt Col Kazi Rabi Rahman, Lt Col Lutfar Rahman Khan, Major Mizanur Rahman, Maj Mahbubur Rahman Maj M Mokbul Hossain, Maj M Abdus Salam Khan, Maj Hossain Sohel Shahnewaz, Maj Kazi Mosaddek Hossain, Maj M Saleh, Maj Mahmud Hassan, Maj Mustak Mahmud, Maj Mahmudul Hasan, Maj Humayun Haider, Maj M Azharul Islam, Maj M Humayun Kabir Sarkar, Maj M Khalid Hossain, Maj M Maksum-ul-Hakim, Maj Syed M Idris Iqbal, Maj M Rafiqul Islam, Maj M Mosharraf Hossain, Maj M Mominul Islam Sarkar, Maj Mostafa Asaduzzaman and Maj SM Mamunur Rahman and soldier M Zahurul Islam.Meanwhile, namaz-e-janaza for seven other army officials was held on Friday at the cantonment. The BDR commanding officials whose funerals were held there are Brig Gen M Abdul Bari, Col Mujibul Haq, Col M Anisuzzaman, Col Zahid, Lt Col Abu Musa M Kaiser, Lt Col Enayet and Major Mizan.

A joint team of Army, RAB and Police, so far recovered 71 bodies till Sunday. Of them, 48 officers were identified.

Forty army officers were rescued alive from the BDR Headquarters and 6 still remain missing.

When a nation cry..

2009-03-02T17:26:00.005+06:00

Few Photographs of barbaric massacre of rebellious BDR soldiers on 25^th February 2009. Sixty eight bodies have been recovered so far and Bangladesh Army official said six officers are still missing.

Borders secure, says new BDR DG

2009-03-01T19:11:00.003+06:00

Newly appointed BDR chief has assured the public that all national borders were secure in the wake of mutiny by rebel border guards at their Dhaka headquarters."All the country's borders are secure," Brig Gen Moinul Hossain told reporters yesterday."I visited the BDR headquarters today for the first time since my appointment to have a look at the overall situation there," said the new director general, who is also a member of the probe committee formed to investigate the Feb 25-26 armed uprising at the Peelkhana complex.He was appointed DG Friday as his predecessor Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed was confirmed dead among 70 officers slain by rebel personnel.A 10-strong high-powered committee began investigations into the mutiny Saturday.Home minister Sahara Khatun, who heads the committee, said they were planning to submit a report within seven days.Asked about the investigation, the new BDR chief said: "We will interrogate those suspected of carrying out the mutiny, and question those who have suffered its losses.""We will also interview the residents of Peelkhana's surrounding areas."Measures were being taken to restore discipline and morale among the rebellion-hit ranks, said Gen Moinul."It'll take time. But we are working on it," said the director general after a first meeting of the probe body."Today was the first meeting of the committee. We'll meet again to decide our next course of action," he added.On how many personnel were inside the headquarters, he said those who did not flee were inside. "But I cannot say their number at the moment.""And those who had fled away have been asked to return. We'll also interrogate those members who were caught escaping and have been detained," he said.

BDR jawans return to Pilkhana in compliance with a home ministry order

2009-03-01T18:06:00.005+06:00

The BDR jawans who fled the BDR headquarters during or after the mutiny continued to report to the BDR headquarters in the capital today (Sunday).
Following a home ministry instruction issued Saturday asking the BDR members who are absent from their workplaces without leave or permission following the mutiny to rejoin within 24 hours, the BDR jawans started reporting to the BDR headquarters from yesterday afternoon.
The home ministry, in a press note, also said lawful actions will be taken against those who fail to report or rejoin their respective workplaces within the time limit. The deadline ends today.
The BDR personnel, most of them accompanied by their family members, were seen gathering in front of the BDR headquarters since early this morning.
The jawans in uniforms have reported at gate-4 of the BDR headquarters while those without uniform have been asked to report at the Abahani playground in Dhanmondi.

BDR troops gather in front of the Pilkhana's BDR headquarters for reporting back on Sunday.

72 Army officers still remain missing

2009-03-01T17:54:00.003+06:00

Dilruba Khatun, sister of missing Colonel Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, still waiting for news on her brother's fate.

The body count in the mutiny at BDR headquarters stood at 63 yesterday as 72 army officers remained untraced, Military Intelligence (MI) announced last night.
At a press briefing in Dhaka cantonment, MI Director Brig Gen Mahmud Hossain also said that 47 of those retrieved dead have been identified.
Besides, he added, 31 officers deputed to the paramilitary force have survived the revolt by border guards.
Meanwhile, two days into the end of bloodbath, rescuers yesterday discovered three more mass graves and pulled out 10 bodies including the slain BDR chief Major General Shakil Ahmed's wife Naznin Shakil.
Early Saturday fire service personnel recovered an army officer's body from a sewer in the compound. With the recoveries, the death toll rose to 73, up from 62 on Friday, said officials involved in the rescue operation.
Of those confirmed dead, some 60 are army officials, they added.
Meanwhile, it could not yet be known exactly how many officers were at the headquarters when the mutiny erupted in Darbar Hall at around 9:00am.
According to rescuers and army information centre at Pilkhana, the people who could provide the information have died or been missing.
Rescuers said the registry book at the Darbar Hall does not say exactly how many officers attended Wednesday's programme.
Besides, it is now quite difficult to check up on the number of participants from 12 sectors and 46 battalions as there are few officers left to cooperate to that end.
Speaking in return for anonymity, a rescuer yesterday told this correspondent, “It seems there might have been 138 army officers and 30 BDR officers at the Darbar Hall Wednesday.”
As 31 army officers have come out alive and 60 have been found dead, it leaves about 50 on the missing list.
Colonel Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, lauded for his role as a Rab official in the drive against militants, especially those of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), is among those missing.
He was posted to BDR in Sylhet early this month.
Before being promoted as additional DG of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), he was in the intelligence wing of the elite crime-busting force, and conducted some major investigations.
He led the operation that netted JMB operations commander Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai.
Gulzar's family drew a blank in their search for him among the bodies retrieved so far.
In the last three days, his sister Dilruba Khatun and other relatives have visited Mitford Hospital, Dhaka Medical Hospital morgue and the sewers coming off BDR Pilkhana for their beloved Gulzar.
A shattered Dilruba yesterday said, “Several times we were told his body had been found. But that didn't turn out to be the case. None of the bodies recovered is my brother's.
“It pains me to think of how a man of his stature still remains untraced. He had always been dedicated to the service of the state. We should at least know if he is dead.”
It was soon after the madness set in Wednesday that Gulzar's friends at Rab heard from him last. In his first call at around 9:00am, he sought help for him and the other officers under attack.
His last call came at around 10:00am. He said he was “done for” and asked the friends to take care of his family.
Meanwhile, rescuers said that besides ransacking the houses and properties of the army officers at Pilkhana, the mutineers vandalised offices including that of the DG. They fired at will inside these offices.
“A lot of important documents have been destroyed during the rampage there,” said Major Momtajur Rahman of Rab.
The rescue teams are now trying to assess the quantity of arms and ammunition used in the carnage over two days, said another official involved in the operation.
“We must retrieve the inventory of the BDR armoury. If the amount of arms and ammunition used by the mutineers surpasses the weaponry on the inventory, we'd know some of the supplies came from outside,” he added.
The troops' use of red, yellow and green cloths to hide their faces while talking to the media at different BDR entrances raises questions if the colours signified anything in terms of command and execution, he added.
Certain colour denoting certain responsibility to be carried out by a mutineer would mean it was a carefully orchestrated campaign to kill the officers.
The Pilkhana gates remained crowded for the fourth day yesterday. The authorities have opened an army information centre at the Jhigatala main gate to help relatives of the ones found dead or missing.

Mass graves unearthed

2009-03-01T14:15:00.006+06:00

Fresh graves unearthed: 10 more bodies including Shakil’s wife recovered, 50 officials still missing

Ten more bodies including that of Naznin Shakil Shipu, wife of slain BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, gunned down during the mutiny at the Peelkhana BDR headquarters on Wednesday were retrieved from three mass graves yesterday.

The recovery of bodies yesterday raised the tally of slain army officers to 110 so far. Fifty officers are still missing and they were believed to have been brutally murdered by the mutinous BDR men at Peelkhana.

Five of the bodies were identified as those of Major Mosharraf, Major Mokbul, Major Hasan, major Sakil and Major Mahabub.

Army convoys enter Peelkhana

2009-02-28T01:47:00.010+06:00

Mass grave at BDR HQ: 88 bodies including Gen Shakil recovered; Army convoys enter Peelkhana

Bangladesh Army troops entering BDR headquarteryesterday to launch search operation for missing officersand weapons.

Wife of a missing army officer deputed to theBangladesh Rifles is wailing as no information whether herhusband is alive or not has reached her yet.

The dead body of an army official who was deputed inthe BDR is being salvaged from a manhole of a sewerage lineinside BDR headquarters.

With the recovery of 51 more bodies of the army officers from ditches near the Darbar Hall inside the BDR headquarters at Peelkhana in the capital and nearby canal yesterday, the official death toll in the two-day BDR mutity mounted to nearly 100.

The body of slain BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed was among the bodies retrieved yesterday.

The head of the Fire Service, Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah identified the boy of Maj Gen Shakil. " Though the body was stripped of uniform, yet I could recognize his body since I knew him very well personally," the fire service chief told reporters inside the Peelkhana on Friday afternoon.

Most of the slain army officers, whose bodies were recovered yesterday, were of the rank from colonel to major. They were sent to BDR on deputation at different times.

Some of the bodies retrieved yesterday were identified as those of Col Elahi, Col Muazzem, Col Emdad, Col Ensat, Col Ehsan, Maj Masum, Maj Rafiq, Maj Moshiur, Maj Haider, Maj Khalid, Col Latifur Rahman, Col Nakibur Rahman, Col Imam Shawkat, Lt Col Rabi Rahman and Maj Mahbub.

Nazneen Ahmed, wife of slain general Shakil, was also believed to have been killed in the revolt. Her body is yet to be traced, the Fire chief said. Of the bodies, 21 were sent to the Dhaka Medical college hospital and 30 to Midford college hospital for autopsy.

Meanwhile, army tanks and convoys rolled into the BDR headquarters yesterday to conduct search for the missing or dead army officers following the two days' revolt by BDR soldiers. The tanks entered into the BDR headquarters with the permission from the Prime Minister, a press wing official of the prime minister's office told newsmen.

Witnesses said eight tanks entered the headquarters at around 11:00am and later more armoured vehicles with army personnel proceeded towards the headquarters yesterday. The tanks were stationed near Abahani playground. The authorities have launched a massive hunt for the border guards who fled the barracks in civilian clothes. About 200 BDR soldiers have already been arrested. The mutinous border guards surrendered their weapons on Thursday after the government declared amnesty. However, the prime minister said that the BDR soldiers responsible for the massacre at the Peelkhana would not be considered for mercy.

The Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force responsible for guarding the country's borders, mutinied at their headquarters in Dhaka on Wednesday over what is said poor pay scale and lack of other facilities.

In the face of ultimatum from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the mutineers at the Peelkhana laid down their arms and surrendered on Thursday afternoon.

The bodies of 17 army officers including that Brig Gen Abdul Bari were recovered from nearby ditches of the BDR headquarters on Thursday evening.

Dozens of army officers are still missing.

There were 169 army officers inside the peelkhana BDR headquarters when the mutiny broke out on Wednesday morning.Of them, 88 were found dead so far and 27 others came out of their captivity from the BDR headquarters after the mutineers surrendered their arms and ammunition on Thursday afternoon.

One officer said yesterday that as soon as the mutiny began he jumped into a ditch where he remained in neck deep water until Thursday evening. At night he came out of the ditch and climbed on a roof of a building till the mutiny ended, he noted.

The police officials while searching for the bodies and missing army officers inside Peelkhana yesterday found a number of ditches where the bodies of the slain army officers were dumped to avoid detection.

Thirty-four bodies of the army officers were recovered from a 15 feet deep ditch near the BDR hospital mortuary and nine other bodies from another two nearby ditches around 2:30pm yesterday. Fourteen of them were in BDR uniform. Eight other bodies were recovered from a canal.

Relatives of the missing officers and soldiers thronged the Nawabganj sluice gate and BDR headquarters areas for the bodies of their near and dear ones.

During the joint hunt by the army, police and Rab, a huge number of BDR uniforms were found abandoned inside the headquarters.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak yesterday said the killing of army officers during the BDR mutiny was an act of sabotage.

"It did not happen out of blue. It was a conspiracy. They were killed in a well-planned way," Nanak told reporters at 4:15pm at the VIP gate of BDR headquarters near Jhigatala.

The state minister said a vested group had long been hatching a conspiracy and it distributed millions of taka among the BDR soldiers.

The government yesterday announced a three-day national mourning for the slain army officers.

Newspaper Headline (Manabzamin)

2009-02-28T00:48:00.010+06:00