Bangladesh:Gunfight at BDR headquarters

[BanglaBhoot]

The BDR Mutiny - revenge for Padua and Boraibari


It is now widely believed that the barbarous mutiny at BDR HQ (Pilkhana) in Dhaka was perpetrated in revenge for the death of 19 BSF jawans killed (after they intruded on to Bangladesh territory) in the counter-attack by the BDR at Padua of Sylhet and Boraibari of Roumary on April 18, 2001. The BDR was then headed by Maj. Gen. ALM Fazlur Rahman who has since maintained that the three BDR soldiers killed in that encounter should be decorated with National Sword as Birsreshtho and should be commemorated in exactly the same way as the martyrs of 1971. This has regrettably not been done by any of the governments since the incursion by the BSF into Bangladesh in 2001 and it was surprisingly not one of the demands of the rebellious BDR soldiers in the Pilkhana mutiny of 2009. While the mutineers were able to recall many injustices committed against them over the several decades since independence this single most glaring example just managed to escape their over-wrought attention.

Revenge for Padua and Boraibari was the principal justification for the planning and execution of the mutiny but another important objective was to have Bangladesh accept a Peace Mission from India to protect the Kolkata-Dhaka Friendship train service as explained in some news reports. The real purpose for this Peace Mission would be to act as an occupying force and spark further trouble and enmity between the army and the BDR that was likely to ensue after the savage murders at Pilkhana. This would have held out the double benefit and advantage to India of furthering their agenda for securing a transit facility across the country and at the same time cripple the defence and security services of Bangladesh. This would merely be the fulfillment of what had been planned after the 1971 war with Bangladesh having no standing army and the defence needs of the country being organized under Indian army tutelage and control as spelled out in the 7 point agreement signed by the Mujib Nagar government which had only been partly implemented after liberation. The internal law and order situation would according to this agreement be handled by a paramilitary force trained and equipped by India’s external intelligence agency RAW. The first part of this plan was thwarted when the Indian army was forced to leave (which would probably be the same fate of this proposed Peace Mission but with more violent and disturbing consequences for India) after resentment began to grow amongst freedom fighters and the ordinary people of Bangladesh against their prolonged presence which was seen to be tantamount to being an occupying force. The second part of the 1971 plan was suddenly disrupted after the August 15, 1975 coup when the paramilitary force called the Rakkhi Bahini was disbanded soon thereafter. The Rakkhi Bahini earned the reputation of being an undisciplined, brutal and violently vindictive force under the direct control of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and later Tofail Ahmed. It has now been recommended that after the mutiny at Pilkhana the BDR force should similarly be disbanded and like the Rakkhi Bahini have its members assigned to other security forces of the country. In its place a new paramilitary organization would be established and given the name - as one senior army officer has proposed - the Bangladesh Border Force or BBF. This would be the appropriate outcome for the BDR which has by its despicable and heinous acts condemned itself to utter oblivion.

A further comparison may now be made with the situation prevailing immediately after 1971 relating to the suspicious role played by the Awami League leadership. The conduct of the AL government during the recent mutiny is increasingly coming under close and intense scrutiny especially in its failure to act in a timely fashion to counter the revolt by sending in the army directly into Pilkhana compound on the very first day of the uprising. To stall such a move the AL administration sent Sahara Khatun, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam to negotiate terms with the mutineers. None of these individuals have any experience or expertise in conducting such negotiations and they carry little weight or influence within the country or party but were nevertheless chosen. There were, however, several senior leaders in the party who were far better qualified to undertake this task but were simply not asked by the Prime Minister. It is a surprise and a miracle that after the number of civilians that were killed or injured outside the gates of Pilkhana these ‘negotiators’ (Sahara Khatun, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam) managed to successfully dodge the bullets and were not automatically set upon by the rebels on their entry into the compound. Another aspect of the AL handling of the crisis that has raised objections relates to their deliberate policy of dividing the country on purely partisan lines on the issue of the rebellion. In a time of national emergency it would be expected that the government would attempt to unite the country by calling for all-party involvement in the decision making process. Instead the AL (on the basis of accusations made in the Indian press and media) started pointing fingers at the opposition parties for complicity in the mutiny. The view has been expressed in some quarters that this self-defeating approach to the revolt was deliberate so that the army would be undermined in revenge for their role in the 1/11 takeover and also in their pursuance of corrupt politicians in the AL and their ultimate trial and prosecution during the tenure of the two year caretaker government. This is entirely consistent with the AL’s inherent distrust of the armed forces –originally encouraged and inspired by India – which also existed during the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and became greatly intensified after the coup’s of 1975 which saw the AL pushed into the political wilderness for the next two decades. Against this inclination of the AL the people of Bangladesh will expect this government to declare the victims of the mutiny as martyrs to be honoured in the same way as the freedom fighters who lost their lives in the 1971 war but which still has not been done for the BDR soldiers who died in Padua and Boraibari while protecting the territory and borders of the country against Indian intrusion and aggression.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Operation Rebel Hunt: Army deployed across the country

Staff Reporter

As part of the ongoing drive to nab the killers of army officers the government yesterday decided to deploy the members of the armed forces across the country to arrest the fugitive rebels of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and seize missing firearms.

A Home Ministry official on condition of anonymity said yesterday the troops would be deployed in aid of the civil administration under the 'Operation Rebel Hunt.'

"Army personnel will help the police to arrest the rebels and seize the looted arms," the official unwilling to be named told The New Nation last night. He said the army would be withdrawn as soon the situation would come under control.

The decision came hours after the meeting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with army officers at Sena Kunja at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told parliament she had summoned the army to begin 'Operation Rebel Hunt' to find those wanted for the 33-hour revolt in the capital, which began Wednesday.

She said some 668 members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were in custody and warrants had been issued for another 1,000 over the killings, which ended with dozens of mutilated bodies dumped in mass graves.

Sheikh Hasina said the army would be deployed from Monday. She said she was also seeking help from FBI agents and Britain's Scotland Yard in the case.

Nabojit Khisa, a police station chief in Dhaka, said some of the men would be hanged if found guilty of masterminding the revolt, which finished Thursday after Sheikh Hasina met a group of BDR troops and threatened to end it by force.

Six of those who met the premier are on the wanted list for the killing spree, which was reportedly triggered by long-standing complaints over pay and conditions.

Sheikh Hasina declared an amnesty for those who surrendered, but later said those who committed murder would be punished.

Earlier Sunday at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka, where the mutiny took place, security forces and emergency relief teams dug up rose gardens in the search for 70 army officers who are still missing.

Most of the 78 bodies-many of them riddled with bullet wounds and gored by bayonets-were found in graves concealed under leaves and loose dirt. The BDR chief and his wife were among the dead.

Divers have pulled some bodies from underground sewers and an operation was under way to flush out the drainage system under the compound to make sure no corpses had been missed. Meanwhile several hundred soldiers reported to the BDR headquarters in Dhaka as a deadline for them to return to barracks expired. "I've been in hiding for four days because I was worried about the consequences of this," Hossain, 35, told newsmen.



"I am stunned at how barbaric the killings were. When I heard gunshots I fled out the door in civilian dress."

Anxious relatives of the missing-many losing hope four days after their loved ones were last seen alive-watched as those in charge of the operation promised all of the victims would be found.

Local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters that a special tribunal would be established to try the accused, while the US embassy urged "all Bangladeshis to work together to overcome this national tragedy."

Some analysts warned that revenge attacks by outraged army officers and their allies could destabilise the country, which returned to democracy only two months ago after elections replaced a military-backed government.

"There's a legacy of bloodshed in this country. If you spill the blood of others, they might seek revenge," said Ataur Rahman, a professor of politics at Dhaka University.

Tensions in the BDR had simmered for months before bubbling over, reportedly when officers rejected appeals for more pay, subsidised food and holidays.

The New Nation - Internet Edition

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Mir Shawkat angry at criticism of Army: Mutiny episode result of conspiracy outside BDR

Rafiqul Islam Azad

Lt General (Retd) Mir Shawkat Ali, Bir Uttam, has observed that family members of the murdered army officials could have been saved and protected from harassment by the BDR rebels, if army was ordered to deal with the mutiny at the BDR Headquarters.

He made the observation in a talk show broadcast by the private TV Channel-1 on Nirbachito Khobor (selected news) on Friday.

"If the army was allowed to move fast, the situation could have been controlled within minutes. The army troops would have bulldozed into the BDR Headquarters. In that case, the family members of the army officials could have been protected from oppression," he said. "If army moved in, the BDR members would have stood down surrendering their weapons."

He said BDR mutineers refused to allow the army at the scene as they knew they had to surrender in that case.

If army was ordered, the nearest brigade would move, and two brigades would be on guard. They could enter the spot within 15 minutes and take another five to 10 minutes to end the mutiny, he said.

He put a question as to whether the rebel BDR members were allowed to flee or they managed to flee.

He criticised the Parliament members for using ****** words against the army and its officers in the House.

If there is any allegation against any army official, they may lodge complain and chargesheet him after proper investigation.

But it creates a dampening impact on the army officials when allegations are made against the institution, he said.

Mir Shawkat blamed intelligence failure for the mutiny.

"The intelligence officials have to be interrogated as to why they failed to provide information about such a big incident," he said.

He suggested the formation of a coordination cell comprising all inteligence agencies to take necessary decisions based on their reports.

Mir Shawkat Ali was not ready to accept the incident as mutiny, rather he termed it part of a pre-planned conspiracy.

Quoting rescued army officials he said when two armed men were firing shot from the stage, all the 4,000 jawans were leaving the Hall.

"Question arises why the entire BDR group, who were supposed to resist the attackers, came out of the Darbar Hall. It has to be found out," he said.

Only the BDR was not involved in the heinous incident. They cannot murder their officers in such away. They are not BDR personnel; outsiders are involved. They were employed to carry out the killing, he observed.

"The whole episode is a part of conspiracy and outsiders are involved. They may be civilians, foreigners or JMB, but not the BDR," he said.

He termed the officers who lost their lives during the mutiny as heroes.

The New Nation - Internet Edition

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Army spokesman says: PM ordered political solution: So Army refrained from taking action

UNB, Dhaka

A spokesman for the army on Saturday night demanded quick trial and toughest punishment of the perpetrators and plotters of the February 25-26 barbaric incidents like murder and marauding inside the BDR Headquarters.

Director of Military Intelligence (MI) Brig General Mahmud Hossain apprised journalists that 63 bodies of BDR officers deputed from the army have so far been recovered while 72 other officers missing. Of those found dead, 47 were identified.

Another 33 officers were rescued alive, he said at a press briefing at the Army Headquarters Banquet Hall.

"I believe all BDR personnel were not involved in the incidents. A few BDR members were involved, whose number will not be so big," the Military Intelligence Director told a questioner.

He mentioned that the government has constituted inquiry committee and hoped that through the investigation those who are guilty and those involved would be identified.

"My firm belief is that those who are involved and provocateurs will be meted out exemplary punishment," he said.

In reply to a question, Brig General Mahmud said they got the

information about the outbreak of the trouble at about 10 am to 10:30am, and immediately prepared plan of action.

The Prime Minister wanted to resolve the problem politically and it was resolved politically, but "we were ready for order", he told the reporters. Asked whether it was a failure of intelligence, Brig Gen Mahmud said the MI's activities are confined within the military. BDR has its own intelligence which concentrates mainly on smuggling. There are other intelligence agencies too.

Asked about the motives behind such a terrible incident of mutiny, he said whatever the reason, this should not have been done this way.

On the question of resentment among the army men after this incident, Brig Gen Mahmud said it is quite obvious to have pent-up resentment when the officers had to lay down their lives "without any reason" and women lost their husbands.

"After such a terrible incident, the situation remains stable," he said, adding that the army is a disciplined force and despite suppressed resentment, they are not ventilating it.

Commanding Officer of BDR Hospital Lt Col Dr Abdus Salam and Maj Ishtiaq who survived the onslaught inside the BDR Headquarters were present at the press briefing and told tales of horror and narrated their sufferings.

The New Nation - Internet Edition

 

[blain2]

-------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont understand this. Why cant India build a fence on its side of the border? Its time to protect India from very possible destabilizing effects in Bangladesh.

This usually happens when the tract of land over which the fence is being built is under contention. In other words, BD disagrees with Indian claims on the border fencing. No side wants to see the other build anything (temp or perm).

 

[BanglaBhoot]

The Peelkhana Massacre

An act of revenge or a foreign-inspired ‘commando operation’?

Dr. K. M. A. Malik

As the extent of mayhem perpetrated on the army officers in the confines of BDR headquarters at Peelkhana grounds is being revealed, the whole nation is terribly shocked and scared of its potential consequences. While it is still too early to get a complete picture of what actually happened there on February 25-26, it is quite clear that large numbers of armed BDR solders not only rebelled against their lawful commanding officers (deputed from the army) but they also carried out a most gruesome murder campaign in cold blood. According to a pres report as many as 135 army officers were killed or missing in the two-day mayhem (PM holds lengthy talks with officers :: Bangladesh :: bdnews24.com ::, March 1, 2009). We condemn these acts of barbarity in strongest terms and convey our wholehearted sympathy to the family and friends of the victims.

At the time of writing this essay (22.00 GMT, March 1), the nation is still in a state of shock and mourning. The rebellion has been quelled with many rebels in detention and others being asked to report for duty. Obviously it would take few days for some sort of normalcy to return. The exact numbers of those detained or who have reported back for duty are not yet known. We shall get a clearer picture in the next few days.

Meanwhile, many questions are being raised about the Peelkhana massacre and the masterminds behind the tragedy. The government has claimed success in bringing an end to the uprising and disarming the rebels ‘peacefully’, but others have criticised it for unnecessary delay which allowed the killers and most BDR soldiers to escape before the army could move into Peelkhana.

The BDR soldiers on duty at the border posts, who were initially reported to have deserted on the rebellion at their Dhaka Headquarters, appear to have, by now, calmed down and returning to duties, preventing a total collapse of security at the border. And in these efforts, one should appreciate the role of the army which has shown tremendous courage and restraint in taking any immediate retaliatory actions against the rebel BDR soldiers. The army should also be thanked for not defying the authority of the lawful civilian government. There were apprehensions in public mind that the army might take over, but this did not happen. The country has been spared another spell of undemocratic military rule.

It is good to see that other political leaders including the leader of main opposition BNP have condemned the BDR rebellion and murder of army officers on the Peelkhana ground. They have also offered all cooperation needed by the government to conduct a thorough enquiry into this tragic event for the sake of truth and revealing the facts before the nation so that the renegade soldiers and their accomplices may be exposed and punished. Although the BNP leader Khaleda Zia made a mild criticism about the delay in government response to the rebellion on February 25, she was unequivocal in supporting the government and army efforts in suppressing the revolt. But she was immediately criticised by some BAL leaders for not being quick enough to condemn the killers! (It is perhaps in our national culture to give more emphasis on smaller bits rather on looking a problem from a bigger perspective).

The government has already initiated an investigation process headed by home minister Sahara Khatun with representatives from other concerned ministries and agencies. The Sahara Committee is expected to submit a report within a week. It is also expected that the armed forces, BDR and different intelligence agencies will carry out their own investigations. While we have had the bad experience of many important investigations being conducted unprofessionally and hiding many unpleasant truths, we do hope that all the enquiries and investigations related to the BDR revolt would be carried out professionally and completely to unravel the truth and identify the real culprits. It is also important that the government make public the salient points of the reports so that our people can restore their faith in the process of democratic governance. And under no cir**stances, they would hide any failure or negligence on the part of any state organs or powerful quarters whether local or foreign.

At the initial stage, the Peelkhana massacre looked like the wild actions by some disgruntled BDR soldiers who were dissatisfied with their service conditions and alleged ill-treatment by commanding officers from the army ranks. However, it is quite clear by now that the massacre is not the instantaneous action of few individuals bent on taking revenge on their alleged ‘corrupt’ and ‘oppressive’ commanders but the result of a sophisticated ‘commando operation’ executed by the agents of powerful conspirators to destabilise Bangladesh as a state and demobilise its defence and security branches. Sowing seeds of confusion, mistrust, panic and hatred among different branches of state organs especially the armed forces and the border security forces as well as among the general public appear to be the immediate aim of this anti-Bangladesh operation. The long-term objectives were and still remain to push the country towards a civil war situation, to cripple its own defence capabilities and create another ‘Somalia’ or ‘D R Congo’, to make it ungovernable without physical and financial support of the self-proclaimed ‘international’ or ‘regional’ imperialists and hegemonists. In other words, cripple Bangladesh by all possible means so that at one stage it is forced to ‘invite foreign saviours’.

It should be noted that both the government and opposition political leaders are agreed on the point that there is a deep rooted conspiracy behind the Peelkhana massacre. But who are the conspirators with such a hostile design on Bangladesh? Who are the people to profit from a ‘dysfunctional government’ or ‘failed state’ of Bangladesh? Would they ever be identified and exposed to our people and to the world?

While the whole country is passing through a terrible shock and trying to recover from the trauma, it is quite disheartening to observe that some Indian quarters and their Bangladeshi cohorts are carrying out a campaign of ‘rumors’ and ‘unsubstantiated news’ regarding the Peelkhana tragedy.

As soon as the news of the BDR revolt started to filter out of Peelkhana, a New Delhi based news agency CNN-IBN carried a ‘story’ about the involvement of some opposition political parties including Bangladesh Jamat-e-Islami in the revolt. Similar ‘stories’ were also carried in the pro-BJP Bangla daily ‘Anandabazar Potrika’ of Kolkata. During the last five days, about twenty such ‘news’ items and articles have been published in different Indian media outlets. Anandabazar Potrika reported on March 1, that the army wants the prime minister to implicate several politicians including Moudud Ahmed (BNP) and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, MP (BAL, State Minister, LGRD) and Mirza Azam MP (BAL, Chief Whip) as associates of the BDR rebels. We can not be sure at this stage if this sort of ‘news’ is true or false, but the question arises: how the Anandabazar journalists ‘know’ so much inside information that even the Dhaka journalists do not know?

Clearly one group of people are suggesting that the Peelkhana massacre has been planned and executed by Jamat-i-Islami or similar ‘Islamist’ groups with active support of a section of Bangladesh security services including the army and DGFI. The main ‘argument’ is that these groups are opposed to BAL’s ‘secularism’ and proposed trial of the ‘war criminals’. One Indian security analyst, B. Raman, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, has alleged that BDR has ‘unfriendly attitude’ towards India and that many of them have links with ‘fundamentalist and jihadi elements’ (Bad Omens From Bangladesh, February 27, 2009). Mr. Raman has also alleged that BDR killed 15 Indian BSF in 2001 (Sheikh Hasina was also the prime minister then) wrongfully and mutilated their bodies, but did not mention that the BSF forces, as aggressors, tried to physically occupy some Bangladesh lands and those BSF members killed were several miles inside Bangladesh border. I wrote two newspaper articles at that time exposing the nature of Indian hypocrisy and aggression towards Bangladesh, which were subsequently included in my book ‘Bangladesher Rajniti : Mookh O Mookhosh’. I also exposed the anti-Bangladesh nature of a section of our media and ‘intellectuals’ who condemned the defending BDR forces and their commander Maj. Gen. Fazlur Rahman and supported the Indian aggressors. It is very unfortunate that Bangladesh is perhaps the only country in the world where some influential media and public figures always condemn their own government, army and security forces (even if they do it right) and find no fault in the actions of Indian government and BSF (even if they are wrong). Some of these misguided elements and agents have even written newspaper articles arguing that ‘Bangladesh does not need any army’. One well known pro-Indian columnist based in London was reported last year to have said in a meeting of ‘Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Christian Unity Council’ (a R&AW inspired anti-Bangladesh, anti-Muslim outfit) in New York that they should wage ‘armed struggle’ to realize their demands!

So it is only natural that the Indian hegemonists and their Bangladeshi agents and supporters would try to blame those political parties and leaders who oppose the ‘Great Indian Game Design’ for the some political parties including Jamat-i-Islami and BNP, who are opposed to various Indian attempts to reduce Bangladesh as a client state.

I do not wish to say the some ‘Islamist’ groups may not be involved in the BDR massacre. But as far as we know these groups have mostly been subdued already by Bangladesh security forces. The remnants are still there, but would any body believe, unless concrete evidences are provided, that they have the motives and extreme military precision required for such an operation? It is also true that BNP is politically opposed to BAL and many of its pro-Indian policies, but what would they gain by destroying BDR, the first line of Bangladesh defence along the border? BAL propagandists have always tried to gain political points by portraying BNP as an Uttor Para (or Dhaka cantonment) supported party, due to the fact that BNP has stood for a strong defence force. Is there any reason for this party to hatch conspiracy and incite violence within BDR so that about 130 mid ranking officers of Bangladesh army and defenders of country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty would be brutally killed? Is Khlaeda Zia or even Moudud Ahmed so naïve that they do not understand the implications of such a dangerous plot to destroy Bangladesh defence forces?
It is now revealed by eye-witness account of a surviving army officer that the murder campaign was initiated by a group of about 12-14 young people who arrived at the Peelkhana Durbar Hall in an arms loaded pick-up van NOT belonging to the BDR. It is also clear the whole episode of the officers’ massacre was completed in about 1-2 hours and that delaying tactics were then adopted to bury or hide most of the dead bodies and for the ring leaders to escape. There are of course hundreds of questions that need answers for proper investigations, but the central question is the true identity of the above gang of assassins. Were any or all of them BDR soldiers or a ‘commando group’ trained and operated by an external agency like R&AW or MOSSAD? There is little doubt that this group is the core of the murderous operation and that it carried out its assigned task very successfully. This was no ordinary operation; it must have been carried out by a highly trained, professional group as portrayed in many Hollywood films. If we assume that it was an ‘outside job’, then it would be wrong to exclude R&AW and/or MOSSAD as possible masterminds of this operation. Both these organizations have the motives, conspiratorial, organisational and technical capabilities and resources for this type of commando operation. They also have the past experience of planning and executing ‘commando operations’ in other countries. Bangladesh is an easy target for them, because there is no shortage of local accomplices in exchange of money or other ‘benefits’.
According to a report in the Telegraph (Calcutta), the Indian government is ready to send ‘peace-keepers’ into Bangladesh if the government requests for such ‘help’ (The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | Indian peace mission signal, February 27, 2009). This sort of Indian offer for ‘help’ looks su**ious since Bangladesh does not need any help from Indian military to solve its internal problems. It is also strange that despite the US support to Hasina government’s handling of the Peelkhana crisis, one Indian report suggests that ‘the US too is encouraging India to play a “stabilising role” in the region’ (The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Frontpage | Dhaka disarm request to Delhi Eye on rebels on the run, March 1, 2009). Obviously, some media people in India think that Bangladesh is ripe for their military intervention. But nothing can be further from the truth. Indian military forces are not welcome in Bangladesh under any pretext and any such adventurous move (even if any government is stupid enough to request for such Indian ‘help’) will be resisted by our people. We are aware of the Indian ‘peace-keeping’ role in Sri Lanka.
In conclusion, we hope that Bangladesh authorities (both civil and military) would carry out thorough investigations into the whole conspiracy against the country’s sovereign existence (not only against the BAL government as some quarters want us to believe or against the army). It is a crime against Bangladesh itself, and should be treated as such. The investigations must be based on concrete evidences and facts, to find out the truth, to expose the traitors, foreign agents and infiltrators (even if some of them are powerful), and to punish the culprits. No conclusions should be to drawn to fit into some pre-conceived hypothesis or on the ‘advice’ of some foreign agencies. We do not want any ‘show trial’ as happened in the past, but a genuine dispensation of justice.

(Cardiff, March 1, 2009)

 

[ejaz007]

BD charges 1,000 border guards
Monday, March 02, 2009


DHAKA: Bangladeshi police charged more than 1,000 border guards with murder and arson on Sunday after a bloody mutiny in the capital left as many as 148 people dead or missing, most of them army officers.

The government announced plans to form a special tribunal to try the guards who organised the mutiny. Of a total of 181 officers, only 33 are known to have survived the uprising at the Bangladesh Rifles border force headquarters in Dhaka, said army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mahmud Hossain.

Teams continued searching the compound and nearby sewers on Sunday for more bodies, including 71 people still unaccounted for. Most of the missing were presumed dead, according to Sheikh Mohammad Shajalal, a firefighter overseeing the search.

Dhaka metropolitan police official Nobojyoti Khisa said authorities filed murder and arson cases on Sunday against more than 1,000 border guards. It was unclear whether those guards would face the special tribunal or other courts.

The insurrection apparently erupted over the border guards’ long-standing complaints that their pay has not kept pace with the salaries of soldiers in the army. The crisis has raised questions about the stability of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s two-month-old government in the South Asian country, which has seen nearly two dozen successful and failed military coups in its 38-year history.

Hasina ended the two-day standoff by persuading the guards to surrender with promises of an amnesty coupled with threats of military force tanks rolled into Dhaka’s streets before the insurrection ended on Thursday. Later, the government said those directly responsible for the mutiny and massacre would not fall under the amnesty. Hundreds of guards began reporting back to their headquarters on Sunday all claiming they had no part in the mutiny after the Home Ministry gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to return to their posts, report to police stations or face disciplinary action.

The guards waited outside as officials checked their credentials. Some said they were on leave or off duty during the mutiny, while others claimed they fled the compound after the violence started.

“Why should I be afraid of returning to work? I was not involved in the incident. I left to go to my family outside after the shooting began,” said one guard, who refused to give his name.

The government decided on the tribunal at a Cabinet meeting late on Saturday, ruling party spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam said. He said initial evidence suggested the mutinous guards may have had outside assistance, but he did not elaborate.

Hasina on Sunday addressed a gathering of army officers inside military headquarters. Details of the meeting were not immediately available. On Friday, army chief Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed met with Hasina and reassured her of the military’s support for her government. But on Saturday, Hossain, the army spokesman, said that soldiers angered by the carnage were demanding swift justice for the deaths of their officers. By law, the border force’s leadership is made up of army officers.

Police said earlier that about 200 fleeing guards were arrested in and around the capital over the weekend, while those still inside the compound after the mutiny were being kept at a hospital on the premises.

BD charges 1,000 border guards

 

[kidwaibhai]

This is what the indian media is reporting.

I could not believe this myself. and look how they implicate jihadis in this whole scenario they really are showing their anti muslim bias.

 

[blain2]

Typical...anyone expecting anything different from the Indian media?

 

[Nafees]

Source: Indian air force ready for action after mutiny erupts in Bangladesh_English_Xinhua

Indian air force ready for action after mutiny erupts in Bangladesh

English_Xinhua


NEW DELHI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- India put its air force in a stand-by scenario for likely logistic and humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh after Bangladesh, the neighbor country, was plunged into a bloody mutiny last week, said the local newspaper Hindustan Times on Monday.

The Indian Air Force's transport bases, equipped with IL-76 heavy-lift and AN-32 medium-lift aircraft, were asked to stay prepared to assist the Bangladesh government, if it is requested by Dhaka, the report quoted an air force official as saying.

The report quoted the official as saying that the Indian Air Force "follows some drills whenever there is any instability or calamity in neighborhood."

The Indian Air Force has two transport bases at Jorhat in Assam close to Bangladesh, according to the report.

India flew relief supplies to Bangladesh in November 2007 after a devastating cyclone hit the country's western coast, killing thousands.

Under a stand-by scenario, Indian Air Force makes sure that assets are available at any given time for speedy deployment to deal with any eventuality, according to the report.

Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary soldiers staged a two-day bloody mutiny last week in Dhaka, demanding better pay, change in the command and control structure and permission to join UN peacekeeping missions.

Many people were killed, including military officers, by the mutineers, before the government took control of the situation.


Editor: Xiong Tong

 

[leonblack08]

Add 'Joy Bangla' slogan on the top of all. BTW do you see commonality in cruelty among the brutalities of AL/COMMIE Goon's killings of Shibiri in 28th OCT. 2006, raping Gujrati Muslims then burning them alive and current massacre? How about destruction of Fallujah, southern Lebanon and GAZA? Aren't all of them being done by anti-Islamic forces? And please get out of the pre-conceived notion that all anti-PAK break upers are bad people. Today you have Bangladesh because of SAKA's father. If person like him didn't act for Muslim's independence then there wouldn't be any PAK and if there wasn't any PAK then there wouldn't be any BD. I can infact gurantee you that people like SAKA, NIZAMI and Mujahid are hundred times more patriots than current dalals, thanks.

Sorry I am no fond of SAKA or his father.Instead I doubt he might be into this.

One another observation is the killing,dumping,looting and raping we witnessed are similar to 1971.

SAKA,NIZAMI,Mujahid are patriots,ok I agree,but not Bangladeshi patriot but Pakistani Patriot.

 

[leonblack08]

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I dont understand this. Why cant India build a fence on its side of the border? Its time to protect India from very possible destabilizing effects in Bangladesh.

That's because there is an agreement between both countries not to build anything within 150 metres of the border.

 

[afriend]

Hey i heard in this indian media that a shipping magnet wit close links to ISI is being suspected. And this information was recieved from the surrendered soliders that they got money from him..????

What is the general view from bangladesh..???

 

[leonblack08]

Most officers killed by 11 in the morning
Says Lt Colonel Shams
Staff Correspondent

Most of the BDR Jawaans who killed the army officers during the BDR mutiny were quite young and most of the killings were carried out and over between 10:30 to 11:00 am, immediately after the chaos started at Darbar Hall at the BDR headquarters.

This eyewitness account of that fateful day came from a survivor officer, Lt. Colonel Shams, commander of Battalion-44, as he recounted what he saw in an interview published in several newspapers.

Lt Col Shams said when the Director General of BDR Shakil Ahmed was delivering his speech at the Darbar, a Jawan aimed an SMG rifle at the DG and he (Lt Col Shams) jumped up and pushed this man over, who was visibly unable to fire and was trembling as he approached the DG.

As a chaos ensued, the army officers were sent out to calm down the Jawaans who had left the hall. Once outside, Lt Col Shams noticed a group of young Jawans, all firing their guns approaching the Darbar Hall from gate number 5.

During the mayhem that followed, some BDR JCO from battalion 44, including Subeder Saiful, Siraj and Ismail, told Shams that the situation was out of control and helped him escape the scene, taking him to their quarters at Al Beruni Bhaban.

As he was escaping, Lt Col Shams saw a grey-coloured pick-up approaching the Darbar Hall from the gate number 5, apparently loaded with boxes of ammunition.

Shams said that he had never seen such a pickup used in either the BDR or the army. By the time he had reached Al Beruni Bhaban, he could hear the sound of firing at the Darbar hall.

"It was between 10:30 am to 11:00 am and I assume most of the officers were killed during that time," he said in the interview.

"The Jawans took me to their house and told me that my life would be in no danger as long as they were alive. They took off my badge and uniform and gave me clothes to wear. I hid in that house for the next two days,' the Lt Col said.

"Whenever any rebelling Jawans came near the house to search, I would hide in the floor compartment of a box bed," Shams said expressing his gratitude to those who saved his life at such a time.

During the evening of February 25, Shams said he saw cleaners going into the Darbar Hall with cloths and he also recalls seeing ambulances going there and he realised that these people were going to clean up the place and remove the bodies of the officers killed.

Though the rebels had at the beginning announced over microphones that they had enough ammunition to continue to fight for six months, the next morning (Thursday) they began to call on all not to misuse the bullets.

Lt Col Shams said that the situation inside the BDR headquarters seemed to calm down on February 26 following the prime minister's speech that was aired on television.

"The prime minister's speech worked like a wonder. The tension seemed to ease. Groups of Jawans started surrendering arms following the speech," the Lt Col said in the interview.

Shams said that most of the Jawans appeared gloomy to him, following the prime minister's speech.

Shams also saw many Jawans fleeing the BDR headquarters in civil clothes on the second day of the mutiny.

The Daily Star - Details News

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Any BD member watched yesterday's parliament session?It was the most interesting session I have ever seen.

Contrary to the belief that military action was possible,I would say then the civilian death toll would be very high.And these same people would then bash the Govt.
I know the area,it buzzes with people on any day.So many school,college and University around it.I don't know why Lt.Gen.Mir Shawkat Ali is saying this when his colleagues and the survivors themselves said that this was the best way to deal with.A military action in densely populated area is not so wise,although I am no defence expert,but I can say that.

 

[leonblack08]

Hey i heard in this indian media that a shipping magnet wit close links to ISI is being suspected. And this information was recieved from the surrendered soliders that they got money from him..????

What is the general view from bangladesh..???

He is high ranking opposition leader.We don't have any news here in Bangladeshi media,we are discussing the news from Indian media here.

I don't know about others but I doubt this man.He has the money and he is alleged to be involved in war crimes in 1971.

But again its my personal view.We have some people in support of him too.