[🇧🇩] BDR Mutiny---An Irreparable Damage to Bangladesh's First Line of Defense

[Saif]

বিডিআর হত্যাকাণ্ড পুনঃতদন্তে কমিশনকে পূর্ণ সহযোগিতার আশ্বাস সেনাপ্রধানের

কমিশন তাদের তদন্ত কার্যক্রম পরিচালনার জন্য বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনীর সহযোগিতা চায়।

bangla.thedailystar.net

বিডিআর হত্যাকাণ্ড পুনঃতদন্তে কমিশনকে পূর্ণ সহযোগিতার আশ্বাস সেনাপ্রধানের

সেনাপ্রধানের সঙ্গে বিডিআর হত্যাকাণ্ড পুনঃতদন্তে গঠিত তদন্ত কমিশনের সদস্যরা। ছবি: আইএসপিআর

পিলখানায় বিডিআর হত্যাকাণ্ড পুনঃতদন্তে গঠিত জাতীয় স্বাধীন তদন্ত কমিশনের সভাপতি মেজর জেনারেল (অব.) আ ল ম ফজলুর রহমানের নেতৃত্বে কমিশনের সদস্যরা সেনাবাহিনী প্রধানের সঙ্গে সৌজন্য সাক্ষাৎ করেছেন।

আজ সোমবার সাক্ষাৎকালে তারা বিভিন্ন গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয়ে আলোচনা করেন।

কমিশন তাদের তদন্ত কার্যক্রম পরিচালনার জন্য বাংলাদেশ সেনাবাহিনীর সহযোগিতা চায়। সেনাপ্রধান তদন্ত কার্যক্রম পরিচালনায় সেনাবাহিনীর পক্ষ থেকে সব ধরনের সহযোগিতার আশ্বাস দেন।

সাক্ষাৎকালে তদন্ত কমিশনের সদস্য মেজর জেনারেল (অব.) মো. জাহাঙ্গীর কবির তালুকদার, ব্রিগেডিয়ার জেনারেল (অব.) মো. সাইদুর রহমান বীর প্রতীক, মুন্সী আলাউদ্দিন আল আজাদ, ড. এম. আকবর আলী, ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের সহযোগী অধ্যাপক মো. শরীফুল ইসলাম ও জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের সহকারী অধ্যাপক মো. শাহনেওয়াজ খান চন্দন উপস্থিত ছিলেন।​

 

[Saif]

AL orchestrated BDR massacre

The ousted Awami League government orchestrated the BDR massacre to weaken Bangladesh’s paramilitary force for political gain, said renowned photographer Shahidul Alam yesterday.

www.thedailystar.net

AL orchestrated BDR massacre
Says Shahidul Alam

Photo: Courtesy/UNB

The ousted Awami League government orchestrated the BDR massacre to weaken Bangladesh's paramilitary force for political gain, said renowned photographer Shahidul Alam yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, he claimed the incident was staged to harm the country and benefit neighbouring interests.

"The government sacrificed innocent members of the BDR for its own political gain," he said.

The event, organised by families of imprisoned BDR personnel alongside the BDR Welfare Council, called for the cancellation of Section (e) of the Re-Investigation Commission's notification in the Pilkhana Murder Case, a fair investigation, and the reinstatement of dismissed BDR members.

"These individuals have suffered years of wrongful imprisonment, with evidence suppressed and misinformation spread," Alam said, demanding a credible investigation. "We must ensure justice for those who have been unjustly punished."

Critics argue that Section (e), which allows new suspects to be added while retaining existing charges, enables further injustice. Families allege it has led to wrongful imprisonment and torture of innocent BDR members.

Shahidul accused former Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and the then Home Minister of complicity in the killings.​

 

[Saif]

Court grants bail to over 200 former BDR soldiers detained in explosives case

A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to at least 200 former Bangladesh Rifles soldiers in an explosive case filed over the BDR mutiny. All these soldiers have already been acquitted by both the trial court and...

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Court grants bail to over 200 former BDR soldiers detained in explosives case
M Moneruzzaman 19 January, 2025, 17:20

File photo

Explosive case trial resumes after 12 years

A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to at least 200 former Bangladesh Rifles soldiers in an explosive case filed over the BDR mutiny. All these soldiers have already been acquitted by both the trial court and the High Court in a murder case related to the rebellion staged at its headquarters Pilkhana in 2009.

Solders taking part in the 30-hour-long mutiny in February 25–26, 2009, killed 74 people, among them 57 army officers, who were deputed to the then Bangladesh Rifles.

While the murder case remains pending before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, many of the acquitted soldiers were held in custody as they were also accused in a separate explosive case tied to the BDR carnage.

Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal Judge Md Ibrahim Mia granted bail after hearing petitions filed on behalf of 426 detained soldiers.

The court recorded the deposition of retired major Syed Md Yusuf as a prosecution witness as it resumed the explosive case trial which was stalled for 12 years.

The next hearing is scheduled for February 10.

The court has so far recorded testimonies of 284 out of 1,264 witnesses under the Explosive Substances Act.

The trial was stalled since the disposal of the murder case in 2013.

The bail orders were issued on Sunday in the makeshift courtroom at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj amid ongoing protests from the families of the detained soldiers, demanding their release.

Deputy inspector general of prisons for Dhaka division Jahangir Kabir told New Age that 756 former BDR soldiers were held in custody in four jails in connection with the two cases filed over the rebellion and of them 200 were granted bail on Sunday.

On the day, 106 accused were produced in the court. Of them, 50 were already acquitted in the BDR mutiny murder case in both trial court and High Court, six were on death row and the rest 50 were serving various sentences in the murder case.

Chief public prosecutor Borhan Uddin said that the court for granting bail gave priority to those soldiers who got acquittal in the murder case but were detained in the explosive case.

He added that the court was likely to issue release orders after two days as it received a list of soldiers meeting the criteria.

He said that the BDR members’ lawyers failed to mention the exact number of the accused who applied for bail and also the exact information on the number of personnel acquitted from both the lower court and High Court.

The trial court’s decision came as a first step towards addressing the longstanding legal limbo affecting hundreds of soldiers detained under overlapping charges.

Defence lawyer Aminul Islam estimated that 250 soldiers might qualify under the bail order, while Borhan put the number at over 200.

On November 5, 2013, the trial court sentenced 568 soldiers in the murder case. Of them, 152 were awarded death penalty, 162 were handed life imprisonment, and 256 were sentenced to varying jail terms. Of the total 850 accused in the case, 278, mostly former BDR personnel, were acquitted.

In a two-day judgment delivered on November 26–27, 2017, the High Court upheld the death sentences of 139 soldiers and handed life imprisonment to 185 others.

Additionally, it upheld varying jail terms for 200 convicts, while acquitting 45 accused of all charges.

Lawyer Aminul Islam said that the trial court had initially acquitted 277 soldiers. But after the then Awami League government appealed against the acquittal of 69 individuals, the High Court handed life imprisonment to 20 of them.

In December 2020, the then Awami League government filed 20 appeals in the Appellate Division, challenging the High Court verdict. One of the appeals challenged the High Court’s acquittal of 16 soldiers.

The lower court sentenced 12 of the 16 soldiers to life imprisonment and handed death penalty to the rest four.

The appeals now remain pending in the Appellate Division.

Aminul Islam noted that the recent 426 bail applications included soldiers who had completed serving the sentences handed down by the High Court, but remained in custody in the explosive case.

He argued that many of these soldiers were already acquitted in the murder case and were likely to receive similar verdict in the explosive case.

He further contended that the soldiers were in custody for 16 years which constituted a strong basis for granting bail.

Chief prosecutor Borhan Uddin opposed the bail petitions, arguing that there remained a possibility of convictions in the explosive case.

He maintained that granting bail could undermine the ongoing legal process.​

 

[Saif]

2009 BDR carnage: 178 personnel set to be released

A total of 178 BDR personnel can walk out of prison on bail in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act in connection with the 2009 BDR mutiny

www.thedailystar.net

2009 BDR carnage: 178 personnel set to be released

File photo

A total of 178 BDR personnel can walk out of prison on bail in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act in connection with the 2009 BDR mutiny.

Judge Md Ibrahim Mia of the Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal-2 on Sunday granted them bail after holding a hearing on their bail petitions at a makeshift court inside the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, Shahadat Hossain, bench assistant of the court, told The Daily Star.

"The court accepted their bail pleas as they have been acquitted by higher courts in the BDR carnage case and have no pending appeals against those acquittals," he said.

"There is no legal bar to their release unless there is an arrest warrant in any other case," added the court staffer.

Earlier, some 400 accused filed bail petitions with the court.

The BDR carnage on February 25-26, 2009 resulted in the massacre of 74 people, including 57 army officials, at the BDR headquarters in Pilkhana.

On November 5, 2013, a Dhaka court handed death sentences to 150 BDR members and two civilians, and life imprisonment to 160 others for their role and involvement in the carnage.

A total of 256 people, mostly BDR soldiers, were given jail sentences.

The court acquitted 278 others, but the prosecution later appealed against the acquittal of 69.

In January 2015, the HC started hearing the appeals of the convicts and pronounced its verdict on November 27, 2017, confirming the death penalty of 139.

It commuted the death penalty of eight convicts to life imprisonment and acquitted five others who were sentenced to death by the trial court.

The HC upheld life imprisonment of 146 and acquitted 14.​

 

[Saif]

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/168-bdr-soldiers-set-to-walk-free-todays

168 BDR soldiers set to walk free today after 16 years in prison
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Jan 23, 2025 11:51
Updated :
Jan 23, 2025 12:08

168 BDR soldiers are set to be released on Thursday after serving sixteen years in prison following the Pilkhana massacre.

According to prison sources, these prisoners will be freed from four different prisons, as per local media reports.

A total of 41 BDR detainees will be released from Dhaka Central Jail, 26 prisoners from Kashimpur-1, 89 from Kashimpur-2, and 12 from Kashimpur High-Security Jail.​

 

[Saif]

BDR families reunite after 16 years

A total of 178 former members of the then Bangladesh Rifles were released from different jails on Thursday, four days after they were granted bail in an explosive case linked to the 2009 BDR mutiny.

www.newagebd.net

BDR families reunite after 16 years
M Moneruzzaman 23 January, 2025, 15:21

Family members embrace a former member of Bangladesh Rifles, renamed as Border Guard Bangladesh, after garlanding him with flowers after his release on bail from the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj after 16 years on Thursday. | New Age photo

178 ex-BDR soldiers released on bail

A total of 178 former members of the then Bangladesh Rifles were released from different jails on Thursday, four days after they were granted bail in an explosive case linked to the 2009 BDR mutiny.

The jail authorities freed the BDR members in the case in the morning as their release orders reached the Dhaka Central Jail and three jails in Kashimpur.

As the released former members of BDR came out of the jails, emotional scenes occurred at the jail gates as they embraced their family members waiting there with flowers and garlands to welcome them and reunite after 16 years.

Tears of joy, heartfelt embraces, and a flood of memories marked the end of an agonizing chapter for them, who were finally able to hold their fathers, husbands, and brothers.

Of the released ones, 43 were freed from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, 27 from Kashimpur Central Jail-1, 95 from Kashimpur Central Jail-2, and 13 from Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail, said Jahangir Kabir, deputy inspector general of prisons for Dhaka division.

Currently, 579 former BDR soldiers remain in four jails in connection with the cases related to the mutiny, he said.

Despite being acquitted by both the trial court and the High Court in a murder case related to the mutiny, many of these soldiers had remained in custody in a separate mutiny-related explosive case.

The mutiny in February 25–26, 2009, lasted 30 hours and resulted in the deaths of 74 people, including 57 army officers posted to the then Bangladesh Rifles.

On January 19, Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal judge Md Ibrahim Mia granted bail to 178 ex-BDR soldiers out of 426 who sought bail in the explosive case.

The bail orders were issued on the day amid protests from the families of the detained soldiers in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, demanding their release.

The trial had been stalled for 12 years and resumed recently, with retired Major Syed Md Yusuf testifying as a prosecution witness.

The next hearing in the explosive case is scheduled for February 10. The murder case remains pending before the Appellate Division.

The court has so far recorded testimonies of 284 out of 1,264 witnesses under the Explosive Substances Act.

The trial was stalled since the disposal of the murder case in 2013.

Chief public prosecutor Borhan Uddin told New Age that the trial court, for granting bail, gave priority to those soldiers who got acquittal in the murder case but were detained in the explosive case.

Maliha, a young woman from Thakurgaon, had been waiting anxiously with a bouquet of roses at the gate of the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj Thursday morning. As soon as her father walked past the jail gate, she broke into tears, ran to his father, and clutched him.

For Maliha, this was the first time she could hug her father.

Born just three months before the 2009 BDR mutiny, Maliha had never experienced her father’s affection. ‘I’ve waited my whole life for this moment,’ she said in an emotion-choked voice.

Mostafizur Rahman, one of the released soldiers who talked to reporters outside the Dhaka Central Jail gate, said ‘We were detained for political reasons, despite being innocent.’

His voice carried a mix of relief and bitterness.

‘We always believed that our freedom would come with a change in government. Today, we are free as the Awami League regime was ousted on August 5, 2024, amid the student-led mass uprising. We are grateful to all those who stood by us.’

For Rehena Begum, the day was a day of long-awaited reunion. Standing with her children near the jail gate since morning, she could hardly contain her joy. ‘For 16 years, we lived with the pain of separation. My husband was imprisoned unfairly. Finally, he is coming back to us,’ said Rehena.

Her children, who clung to her, were eagerly waiting to see their father for the first time in years.

Sirajul Islam, who traveled from Gaibandha, was there to welcome his brother.

His face reflected both happiness and a lingering sadness. ‘The years my brother lost can never be returned,’ he said.

‘He was detained unfairly. He is a victim of the Awami League’s repression against BDR soldiers. But, today, we are celebrating his freedom,’ Sirajul said.

The release of the former BDR members happened five and a half months after the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.

The families of the former DBR members believe that this political shift was pivotal in ending years of suffering for their loved ones.

On November 5, 2013, the trial court sentenced 568 soldiers in the murder case. Of them, 152 were awarded death penalty, 162 were handed life imprisonment, and 256 were sentenced to varying jail terms. Of the total 850 accused in the case, 278, mostly former BDR personnel, were acquitted.

In a two-day judgment delivered in November 26–27, 2017, the High Court upheld the death sentences of 139 soldiers and handed life imprisonment to 185 others.

Additionally, it upheld varying jail terms for 200 convicts, while acquitting 45 accused of all charges.

Defence lawyer Aminul Islam told New Age that the trial court had initially acquitted 277 soldiers. But after the then Awami League government appealed against the acquittal of 69 individuals, the High Court handed life imprisonment to 20 of them.

In December 2020, the then Awami League government filed 20 appeals with the Appellate Division, challenging the High Court verdict. One of the appeals challenged the High Court’s acquittal of 16 soldiers.

The lower court sentenced 12 of the 16 soldiers to life imprisonment and handed death penalty to the rest four.

The appeals now remain pending in the Appellate Division.

Aminul Islam noted that the recent 426 bail applications included soldiers who had completed serving the sentences handed down by the High Court, but remained in custody in the explosive case.​

 

[Saif]

BDR massacre: Chief of inquiry commission to get status of SC judge

The commission's members will be entitled to the status of High Court Division judges, and enjoy similar salary and benefits

www.thedailystar.net

BDR massacre: Chief of inquiry commission to get status of SC judge

The chief of the National Independent Commission of Inquiry tasked with reinvestigating the 2009 BDR massacre will be granted the status of an Appellate Division judge of the Supreme Court.

The commission's members will be entitled to the status of High Court Division judges, and enjoy similar salary and benefits.

The government issued an official gazette notification on January 26 in this regard, signed by Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, following directives from the president.

This notification is effective immediately.

Earlier, on December 24, 2024, the government in a gazette notification established the seven-member commission to reinvestigate the BDR massacre and examine the crimes committed before, during, and after the tragic incidents of February 25 and 26, 2009.

The commission will also seek to identify the individuals and entities, both domestic and international, implicated in the incident.

Former BGB director general Maj Gen (retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman will lead the commission, with retired Maj Gen Jahangir Kabir Talukder and retired Brig Gen Md Saidur Rahman serving as members.

Other members include former joint secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, former DIG M Akbar Ali, Associate Professor of Dhaka University Shariful Islam, and Assistant Professor of Jagannath University Shahnawaz Khan Chandan.​

 

[Saif]

Sacked BDR members suspend protests

The members of erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles, who were dismissed and imprisoned after the 2009 BDR massacre, and their families on Wednesday suspended their protests demanding reinstatement of their jobs and the release of the detained BDR members...

www.newagebd.net

Sacked BDR members suspend protests
Staff Correspondent 13 February, 2025, 00:14

Police put barricades on the road to halt a march of sacked Bangladesh Rifles members towards secretariat, demanding their reinstatement, near Shikkha Bhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday. | Md Saurav

The members of erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles, who were dismissed and imprisoned after the 2009 BDR massacre, and their families on Wednesday suspended their protests demanding reinstatement of their jobs and the release of the detained BDR members.

They suspended their protests Wednesday evening as they were assured that a meeting between the home adviser and a team of their representatives would be held on February 17.

Before the suspension, several hundred BDR members and their families from different areas across the country kept the Abdul Goni Road in front of Khadya Bhaban near the Secretariat blocked from 1:00pm to 6:00pm to press home their eight-point demand that also includes compensation for all the ‘victim BDR members’.

Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd but they broke through the barricade at the Shikkha Bhaban and took position there halting vehicular movement on the road.

Student Against Discrimination executive committee member Md Mahin Sarkar and the representatives of the protesters held a meeting with home ministry officials in the afternoon.

Mahin later told the protesters that the ministry was positive regarding the demands and a meeting would be arranged with the home adviser on February 17.

Moniruzzaman, one of the representatives of the protesters, told New Age that they decided to withdraw all the protest programmes, including the sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar till February 17 meeting.

The protesters had been continuing a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka since Tuesday to press home their demands.​