anniversary of Peelkhana tragedy:Tribute to martyred army officers
Leader of the opposition in Parliament Khaleda Zia also placed wreaths at the Banani army graveyard to pay her homage to martyred army officers.
Friday February 26 2010 02:51:54 AM BDT
Wreaths were placed on behalf of President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a memorial at the Banani army graveyard yesterday to pay respect to the army officers martyred in the Peelkhana mutiny on the first anniversary of the bloody incident.(The New Nation )
Lt Col Zakir Hossain, assistant military secretary to president Md Zillur Rahman and Tarique Ahmed Siddique, military adviser to prime minister Sheikh Hasina placed floral wreaths at the graves on their behalf.
Leader of the opposition in Parliament Khaleda Zia also placed wreaths at the Banani army graveyard to pay her homage to martyred army officers.
Home minister Sahara Khatun and state minister for home Shamsul Haq Tuku placed wreaths at their graves.
Chief of army staff Gen Md Abdul Mubeen, chief of naval staff Vice Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed, chief of air force staff Air Marshal Shah Mohammad Ziaur Rahman and BDR director general Brig Gen Mainul Hossain also placed wreaths at their graves.
On this day, 57 brilliant army officers, who were deputed to the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles as commanders, were killed by rebel BDR jawans at the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters at Peelkhana on February 25-26, 2009.
Of the 57 martyred army officers, 48 were buried at the Banani army graveyard.
A special munajat was offered seeking peace of the departed souls. Imam of Central Army Mosque Moulana Mahamudul Haq conducted the prayer.
Family members of mutiny victims were present at the Banani graveyard.
One year on since the border guards at the BDR's Dhaka headquarters took up arms against their officers, killing scores and holding hundreds of families hostage for two horrifying days. A special court at Durbar Hall, the scene of the crime, launched the Peelkhana mutiny trial this week-- the murder probe lags on.
Special courts are trying the charges of mutiny, and rebellion that spread to other outposts, under BDR law. But the killings, rape and arson that occurred at Peelkhana, being investigated by CID, will be tried under criminal law to carry the maximum penalty, up to death, under the penal code.
A heart-rending scene was created at that time as some family members burst into tears remembering the tragic deaths of their kiths and kin. Some prayed to almighty Allah for the punishment of the killers.
Meanwhile, Home minister Sahara Khatun, yesterday said the trial of killings at the BDR Pilkhana headquarters will begin soon.
She said this after a milad mahfil organised at Peelkhana to mark one-year of the BDR carnage that left 74 people, including 57 army officers killed.
The home minister said the charge sheet of the case would be submitted immediately.
"Mutiny trial proceedings have already started. The trial for killings will begin under the penal code as soon as the charge sheet is submitted," she said.
The minister further said killing of such talented army officers in that manner was one of the most horrible acts in mankind's history and it is an unbearable loss for the country.
Angry soldiers, citing grievances about pay and conditions, killed 74 people during the 33-standoff at the headquarters, including civilians, before they looted the compound and burned parts of it down.
The siege briefly threatened the survival of the newly elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who refused to use force to end the mutiny - instead offered an amnesty in a televised appeal.
The decision upset powerful figures in the army, which had relinquished power just weeks before, and many observers worried that the standoff could lead to a return of military rule, sources said.
The country was run by a military dictator from 1982 to 1990, before democracy was restored in 1991. In January 2007 the army again stepped in and democracy returned with elections, which Hasina won, in December 2009.
Hasina's civilian government has dealt with the fall-out from the mutiny through democratic channels, including internal reforms - which address many of the mutineers' grievances - and legal proceedings.
One year on, the wheels of justice are grinding slowly forward, but there are concerns about the use of torture on suspects and the reliability of any convictions as a result.
On Wednesday, the government announced that around 900 border guards would be tried in civil courts on murder, arson and looting charges related to the mutiny. Bangladesh has the death penalty for murder.
Rights group Amnesty International has raised concerns that "highly charged emotions in the aftermath of the mutiny" could mar the ongoing legal process, citing the deaths of 48 BDR personnel in custody, allegedly due to torture.
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May their departed souls rest in eternal peace. May Allah give strength to their loved one to move forward.
