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BDR Carnage: Genocide case filed against Hasina, aides

M Moneruzzaman   19 December, 2024, 23:54

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The families of the BDR carnage victims come out of the International Crimes Tribunal premises on Thursday after lodging a complaint with the chief prosecutor, accusing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, then army chief Moneen U Ahmed and 56 others of committing genocide during the massacre at Pilkhana in 2009. | Md Saurav

The families of 22 victims of the 2009 carnage at then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor on Thursday accusing deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her defense adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former army chief Moneen U Ahmed and 55 others of crimes against humanity and genocide.

The carnage killed 74 people, including 57 army officers including then BDR chief Major General Shakil Ahmed in February 25–26, 2009.

This is the first case filed with the tribunal against Hasina and her associates for the rebellion of the soldiers of then BDR, now the Border Guard Bangladesh.

Hasina, who fled to India in the face of a student-people uprising on August 5, faces several ICT cases for atrocities committed during the July–August uprising.

The victim families filed the complaint a day after the home affairs adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on December 17 announced that a committee would be formed within the next five working days to ensure justice for the BDR massacre.

The announcement from the government came amid growing calls for justice for the BDR massacre.

Lawyer Uday Tasmir, representing the 22 families of the slain army officers, including Major General Shakil Ahmed’s son Rakin Ahmed and Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique’s son Saquib Rahman, submitted the complaint to the ICT chief prosecutor in the presence of 15–20 victim family members.

Uday Tasmir told reporters that the killings of the 57 officers constituted genocide and crimes against humanity and Hasina and her associates, including then army chief, home minister, law minister, and intelligence chiefs, were directly involved in the crimes.

‘Our allegations are clear and specific,’ said Tasmir, ‘patriotic, skilled, and  brilliant army officers were deliberately targeted to weaken the Bangladesh Army and the BDR, creating a national crisis to jeopardise the country’s independence and sovereignty.’

Then army chief cannot avoid the responsibility, he said.

The complaint accused Hasina of orchestrating a plan to destroy the two key forces to consolidate power and establish a fascist regime.

It alleged that bodies of the slain officers were set on fire and mutilated, family members of the officers were held hostage, their homes were looted, and the killings were premeditated acts of genocide to eliminate opposition within the armed forces.

The complaint said that the victims were buried in mass graves in a bid to hide the bodies of the victims.

Mehrim Ferdowsi, the wife of Colonel Mujibul Haque, also addressed journalists, asserting that the massacre was a calculated attack.

‘Even today, neither we nor our children know why our loved ones were murdered. The truth must come to light through a proper investigation,’ she said.

The families demanded an independent commission to uncover the truth behind the carnage.

In a press release, they alleged that Sheikh Hasina’s government had systematically targeted patriotic army officers, identifying them as obstacles to her autocratic rule.

The release called for the release of innocent BDR members still detained in connection with the carnage, alleging that they were victims of a prolonged conspiracy.

‘The crimes were planned and executed under the direct orders of Sheikh Hasina and her defence adviser Tarique Siddique,’ it said.

The families said that none dared in the past 15 years to stand against the anti-state actions and criminal conspiracies carried out by Hasina and her government.

Victim families have long been demanding justice for the BDR carnage by forming an independent commission.

They also raised key allegations against then Awami League lawmakers Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Sheikh Selim, and Jahangir Kabir Nanak.

Two cases, one for murders and another for explosive substances, were filed for the BDR carnage. The explosive case is still pending with the trial court.  

On November 27, 2017, the High Court upheld the death sentences of 139 of the 152 condemned convicts of murders of 57 commanders on deputation from the army during the February 2009 BDR mutiny.

Death sentences of seven other BDR soldiers and Md Zakir Hossain, then a local Awami League leader, were commuted to life term imprisonment.

It also upheld the life imprisonment of 146 of the 160 life term recipients. Two of them, including Bangladesh Nationalist party leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, died in custody while 12 others were acquitted of the charges.

The convicts’ appeals and the AL government’s appeals against acquittals of BDR members are pending with the Appellate Division. 

On November 5, 2013, the trial court convicted 568 accused, mostly BDR members, and sentenced 152 accused to death, 162 to imprisonment for life term and 256 to imprisonment for varying terms.

The court acquitted 278 other accused while four accused had died during the trial.

One of the death row convicts died later.

The High Court called for holding probes to find out why the BDR intelligence agency failed to gather information that a mutiny was brewing to coincide with BDR Week celebrations.

The High Court in the verdict also called the carnage a pre-planned massacre of 57 brilliant army officers, then serving BDR on deputation, by some ambitious BDR soldiers during their 30-hour mutiny.

The High Court said that only 55 army officers died in action during the War of Independence.

Of the 850 accused tried in the murder case, 827 were BDR members and 22 civilians while a lone accused was from the Ansar and VDP force.

Breaking his silence for the past 15 years following the February 25–26, 2009 rebellion, former army chief Moeen U Ahmed in an interview with a newspaper in September 2024 demanded re-investigation into the carnage to uncover the plot and the plotters of the incident in both home and aboard.

‘A fresh probe by forming a new inquiry committee can find out the plot and plotters in both home and aboard in the BDR carnage,’ said Moeen in a video statement on YouTube from Florida in the United States.

The mutineers demanded an end to army control over the BDR, withdrawal of army members, and direct talks with then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Then state minister for local government rural development and cooperative minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, whip Mirza Azam, then home minister Sahara Khatun and then local lawmaker Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh attempted negotiations, entering the BDR headquarters with a white flag.

A rebel delegation met with Sheikh Hasina, who announced an amnesty for the mutineers.

Despite an initial ceasefire, firing resumed in the evening.

Talks between the rebels and government representatives continued late into the night, with assurances of laying down arms.

At about 2:30 am on February 26, some rebels surrendered their weapons, but sporadic gunfire persisted.

BDR soldiers in other districts took positions on highways, leaving borders unprotected.

Hasina addressed the nation at 2:00pm on February 26, urging rebels to surrender, warning of military action if they did not comply. By 6:00pm, army tanks and commandos surrounded Pilkhana, prompting rebels to hoist a white flag and flee.

Control was restored by police and the Armed Police Battalion, ending the ordeal for over 100 hostages.

A mass grave discovered the next day revealed the full extent of the savagery, leaving the nation in shock and mourning.