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Bangladesh:Gunfight at BDR headquarters

Sir, if you were in Bangladesh you would understand the situation... The nation is on the side of the BDR... and the "killing" was just an accident and its natural to be killed in a war zone and the people often warned by the army and even by the BDR personnels via speakers...
Regardless of whom the people support, mutinies should be crushed. They will weaken your nation. Anyway we as Pakistanis would support whatever happens to be the best course of action for Bangladesh in the big picture.

So far, no one is liking this state of mutiny and turmoil in Bangladesh over in Pakistan. We wish you guys all the best.
 
Well your dip **** media says its the ISI. Are they trying to preempt accusations against RAW?

i don't care what media says in India bcoz they are always after TRPs[after all they have to run a news channel:lol:][indian media motto: you dont have news create one:D]
i don't see any objective of raw behind this, stable Bangladesh is in India's interest because Indian relations with Bangladesh is on right track now. even ISI can't plan this bcoz their hands are already full with domestic problems.

i believe it is result of several years of carelessness.i presume since you are person with good intellect, you know it very well but your prejudice towards India led you towards another conclusion!!:azn:
 
Regardless of whom the people support, mutinies should be crushed.

i completely agree. mutinies specially when they succeed only weaken the state.
 
Gen. Fazlur Rahman would not be the first choice for AL since he led the BDR counter-attack on the 2001 BSF incursion into BD killing 19 of them. The Indians certainly would not approve of making him a hero.

He said very useful things.I liked whatever he said.Hope AL use him because I think he will be able to reconcile between the two sides.
 
well this indicates we need a complete overhaul of the force and the system as well.
 
Bullets buzz in the air

Satmasjid Road had the usual morning traffic at 9:40am. People were rushing off to offices. And then suddenly a loud burst of gunfire pierced through the clamour. Then came a deep, loud noise -- unmistakably of a heavy weapon, a mortar or cannon.

People were surprised and puzzled. A little further, we could see thick plumes smoke billowing out of the BDR headquarters. Ahead, the road was too clogged to move through. We go out of the car, and almost immediately heard a long loud burst of machine gun fire.

By now people knew something terribly wrong was happening.

Crouched, we tried to push further ahead towards the BDR main gate. But then, we saw the BDR men crowding behind the iron bars of the main gate with AK-47s held high. Shots were ringing out from inside the barracks and it was too risky to go any closer. We took shelter behind a pillar of a building.

The road had already turned empty, only a Rab SUV was parked on a Dhanmondi side road. As another round of heavy firing resumed, the Rab vehicle backed out and left the place at high speed. Close to the BDR gate a bus, empty of its passengers, and a police motorcycle lay deserted. The Trust Bank office outside the BDR boundary looked tightly shut. A green car was parked there.

People were now crowding in the alleys -- all looking towards the centre of the commotion. Heavy firings were going on inside the barracks and nobody knew what was happening in there.

Suddenly, there was a big commotion around a slowly approaching rickshaw. A young boy of about 18 was lying on the seat, his body soaked in blood. The boy was in a shock, his eyes fixed on the sky. The rickshaw was almost under siege by a flock of TV cameramen and photographers who would not let go of the photo opportunity.

"Are you humans or just animals?" someone shouted, "The boy is dying. Let the rickshaw move."

Either for the appeal, or for the sudden big boom of a mortar fire, the crowd thinned out, and the rickshaw moved on. We were all crouched and did not dare to leave whatever cover we had, even in search of a better one. Only if we could cross the road, we could be in relative safety of the Dhanmondi alleys.

A boy tried to do that and fell down spread-eagled. His black hair glistened with red blood. A bullet ricocheted off a building and hit him. He got up dizzy and ran again, all the time holding his wound.

It was 10:30am and the sound of a helicopter rotor attracted our attention. An army Bell chopper was circling high overhead. It kept circling over the BDR complex. As it came for the fifth round, there was an ear piercing noise, and seconds later another. High in the air, there were two white puffs.

"They are firing mortars,"
an army lieutenant colonel who now serves in Rab, said. "They are taking shots at the chopper."

We could see the BDR sepoys taking potshots at the chopper with their carbines held high. The chopper disappeared from the sky at high speed.

A brief lull descended. And we took the chance to run with our heads held down, chased by gunfire from behind.

"Take shelter," the Rab official shouted. We were now near the Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital.

We looked behind and saw a BDR sepoy holding a machine gun with both hands. And then saw smoke coming out of it with a long sharp rattle. Bullets skidded off the walls of the hospital, hitting a few cooling units of split air-conditioners.

We were now safely behind the hospital. Another injured man in his 20s was carried into the hospital. His left leg dangling, covered in blood. There was no sign of pain on his face, only a dazed look.

It was around 12:00pm and the army had arrived. We could see the army marching down the road towards the BDR headquarters. Immediately there was a spray of bullets from the mutineers, prompting the army men to immediately take cover.

The Rab men knocked open the door of the hospital and we clambered up the fire escape. From the top floor, we had a clear view inside the BDR complex. Two machine guns on wheels were positioned behind the gate. Four BDR men were posted atop a small porch beside the gate. Sepoys were walking up and down the driveway. They were clearly in the line of fire. We could see a truck lumbering in the background. A vehicle was making frequent trips to the gate. We could see ammunition boxes being unloaded. They were fortifying their entrances.

We heard a voice over a megaphone. The mutineers were asking for unity among themselves.

We got down from the building as the Rab men found it too risky. Firstly it was in clear view from the BDR gate, and secondly mortar shells were being fired.

Outside, about 40 to 50 army personnel had arrived with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and mortars. They climbed over a wall and went into an alley, closer to the BDR barracks. We followed them.

An army officer held a camouflaged megaphone and started urging the rebels to lay down their arms.

The reply was prompt. A burst of machinegun fire swept the street.

AT RISHIPARA, NEAR GATE FOUR
A woman wearing a pink dress stood still against the iron grille of a balcony, unfazed by the intermittent gunfire around her. A little girl in a red dress was also in a similar state whose eyes were fixed on two soldiers guarding the Rishipara boundary of the BDR headquarters. They all were within the BDR compound, as we looked at them from a house just across the road from the boundary wall.

Except the two expressionless faces in a residential quarter of the BDR compound, no other yellow colour residential building seemed to have any sign of life from afar, late in the afternoon.

It seemed that family members of most of the mutinying soldiers had already fled.

"Our lives are not safe here." said a horrified housewife, Fahima, who was running through the street just outside the BDR compound wall along with another woman. They both were fleeing from their homes adjacent to the BDR compound.

Fahima's companion was weeping in fear, as we tried to talk to her she said, "Please, let us run to safety. Talk to somebody else."

"It has been a terrible experience since the morning. Many frightened wives and children of BDR jawans escaped the scene. One of them was a young mother with a four-day old baby. I had to help her flee," said Arafat, who also lives just across the road from the compound's boundary wall at Rishipara of Jigatala.

He was also visibly frightened.

"They [the BDR jawans] told us to leave our homes if the army enter the residential area," said a man who was also in Arafat's room, a peek through the window, and we saw a BDR jawan on vigilance with a weapon on the other side of the wall.

"We're afraid. We've come to know that the army have taken positions all around the BDR headquarters with heavy weapons. If they start firing, god knows what will happen to us," said elderly Sohrab Uddin, a resident of the neighbourhood.

Less than half a kilometre west of Rishipara, armed soldiers of the army took positions near the Zigatala Kitchen Market roundabout with some taking positions on rooftops, while others on stairwells of residential buildings or behind the walls of the residences.

Anwar was among some 50 persons who were confined by the mutineers for about three hours in Rifles Square shopping mall right next to the Satmasjid Road entrance of the BDR headquarters.

"As soon as we were allowed to leave, bullets started flying like rain. We all just ran," Anwar said.

Anwar appeared normal after being released, but Nazrul Islam, a father of a schoolgirl, was still very worried, as he was stuck now at Dhanmondi Road no 15 crossing. He was in a hurry to pick up his daughter from school.

But an artillery squad of the army already took position with four anti-aircraft guns on the road.

"You will have to cross the road at your own risk. We won't be able to take the responsibility for your safety under the circumstances," a soldier told Nazrul.

The Daily Star - Details News
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Whatever be the reason / background, mutiny by a organised / uniformed force speaks of any or all of the following :

1. Poor quality of officer cadre who were not interactive enough with the troops to have prevented / foreseen a situation like this.

2. Accumulated grievances that go unaddressed for prolonged periods.

3 Lack of self esteem within the orgnisation.

4. Lack of faith of the rank & file in their superiors & their ability of the superiors to rectify perceived anomalies.

5. Absence of channels for redressal of grievances.

There may be many more reasons, however a soldier rarely raises his weapon against his superiors unless things reach a breaking point. Instigators / ring leaders help to aggravate such situations.

The wound may heal but the scars will remain for long.
 
How it began

The mutiny sparked off at the Darbar Hall at the Pilkhana BDR Headquarters at 9:00am when rebellious jawans created a commotion while the Director General was delivering his speech to a gathering of officers and lower tier personnel on the occasion of BDR week.

The Daily Star talked to one of the mutineers over mobile phone and took his version of how the mutiny began.

Wishing anonymity, he said, "The lower tier BDR personnel (who are recruited directly by the BDR authority) have been demanding solution to a number of problems related to pay and benefits. These demands were raised before the DG so that he places them before the Prime Minister who came to Pilkhana yesterday (Tuesday) to inaugurate the BDR week. The DG raised before the Prime Minister only two demands of the army officers in BDR but none of the demands of the lower tier personnel. This intensified our grievance."

He said by Tuesday the angry jawans went out to print a leaflet headlined, 'Save BDR! Save the country! Save the Nation: why are 45,000 BDR personnel subservient today? The BDR is alien in its own home. Take a look, honourable prime minister, thinkers of the country.'

This leaflet was circulated among jawans and outsiders Tuesday night. Despite this, the Director General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) -- the apex body of defence intelligence originally created to monitor dissatisfaction of lower tier defence staffs -- failed in its duty. Even the BDR intelligence failed in its duty.

Yesterday morning, officers and lower tier BDR personnel gathered at the Darbar Hall at a programme attended by, among others, the DG. According to the mutineer talking to The Daily Star, when the DG started delivering his speech before 9:00am, a few BDR personnel created a commotion from the rear. The officers, sitting in the front row reacted to their unruly behaviour.

The disgruntled jawans asked the DG about the profit made during the Dal-Bhaat programme. They said after the programme ended, they were told that they would receive bonuses from the profit. Accordingly they had put their signatures on money receipts, but never got the money, claimed the mutineer.

The mutineer said, "At one stage, an officer fired a shot injuring a jawan. Then the lower tier personnel went out of the Darbar Hall and returned there with arms from the Pilkhana armoury and held the officers hostage at gunpoint."

A source in the army told The Daily Star said the jawans appeared to have launched the mutiny as per a plan. "We don't have any information to substantiate that the officers fired first," he said.

The mutineer said the officers were not tied or gagged. They were kept inside the Darbar Hall at gunpoint throughout the day and were served with food, he claimed. However they were verbally abused.

He however declined to say how many officers were killed or injured or how many of them were held hostage. "You will get to know that in due time," he added.

Army officers told The Daily Star that they received calls between 9:00am and 10:00 am from some of the BDR officials held hostage at Pilkhana who pleaded for immediate action to rescue them.

Over 3,300 soldiers belonging to battalions 24, 36, 13 and 44 in Dhaka took part in the mutiny. Besides, 3,000 more soldiers of various battalions in the country who came to Pilkhana on the occasion of the BDR week also participated in it. "As a result, we faced no opposition while launching the mutiny," he pointed out.

There are 46 battalions in the country, each having 826 soldiers -- totalling nearly 40,000 soldiers in the BDR. The number of officers in BDR is between 250 and 300, he added.

Asked if there was no opposition, why did the mutineers fire so many shots throughout the day, he said, "Just to make sure that nobody tries to enter Pilkhana from outside and foil our effort." Most of those were blank shots as there was no particular target.

He claimed that the mutiny was not a culmination of a thought-out plan hatched over a long period of time. "We did it almost suddenly," he claimed.

"Those who took part in it are sepoys, nayeks, lance nayeks, havildars and JCOs," he added.

The Daily Star - Details News

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In another interview in a private TV channel,one mutineer claimed that Director General himself shot and killed 2 BDR Jawan,as a result they started the mutiny.
 
The PM has already offered a general amnesty to border guards. So the problem is resolved. She has also agreed to look into their complaints.

Can you expect this kind of political maturity in Pakistan?
 
They flee; uniforms left behind
Emran Hossain

Sacks full of uniforms littered the alleys around Pilkhana BDR headquarters left by border guards, who fled in civil dress soon after the mutiny erupted in the morning.

Locals said hundreds of BDR personnel jumped over the boundary walls and fled the scene in a hurry.

They took their family members with them for a safe place and wore civil dress to dodge the eyes of army and law enforcers, who were on way to cordon off the entire area.

"As the shooting erupted in the morning, some BDR personnel jumped over the boundary walls along with their family members and fled for safety," said Anwar, a resident on Nazim Uddin Lane in Zigatola.

"They took off their uniforms once they are outside the walls and fled in civil dress," said Salman Bhatt, a resident of Zigatola Rishipara.

"Wives and children of some BDR personnel got injured while jumping over the boundary walls. Some of them were seen running barefooted or in shoes with different pairs with injuries in their hands and legs," said Tariqul Islam, a resident of PWD staff quarters adjacent to the headquarters.

"The fleeing BDR personnel left the sacks here and there, either beside a lamppost or at the entrance to a house. We had decided not to touch any as we realised they would return soon,"
he added.

Close to each sack was a gathering of people either cowering inside a nearby grocery shop or in front of the main gate of the building.

"They had to flee in civil dress as the army and law-enforcement agencies were out already to suppress the mutiny. They looked panicked and tensed,"
said Sohrab Uddin, a resident on Nizam Uddin Lane.

At 3:30pm the inside of the headquarters looked deserted, empty and barren with flocks of crows flying in the sky. Armed BDR mutineers were seen patrolling the roads inside the headquarters and boundary walls.

Locals said several hundreds of BDR personnel fled in the same manner since 10:00 in the morning. They made the escape through the areas including Hajaribagh Methhorpotti, Nijhum, and New Market.

During their escape, the BDR personnel asked them not to shelter any army personnel in any of the houses, the locals added.

Later in the afternoon, the locals pointed to a passer-by saying he was one of the BDR men now returning to join the mutineers after leaving his family in a safe place.

The Daily Star - Details News


Situation is still tensed here,as there is a high possibility of Army offensive into the HQ.
 
I hope things get settled soon, as Govt has announced amnesty for those who have Fired at their Superiors.

All the Right and Justified Demands of these soldiers must be accepted by the Govt.

This Revolt has Refreshed the Memories of 1857 revolt against the British.
 
The PM has already offered a general amnesty to border guards. So the problem is resolved. She has also agreed to look into their complaints.

Can you expect this kind of political maturity in Pakistan?

The problem yet not resolved brother,the Army is still surrounding the compound and mutineers wants them to go away,or else they won't surrender their arms.They also wants the amnesty to be passed in the parliament.

I would say total intelligence failure,as they were distributing leaflets for mutiny yesterday night.
 
Dying for nothing
Staff Correspondent

Amjad Ali, 50, an asthma patient, was going to BDR hospital to buy medicine and inhaler in the morning and he knew nothing about the revolt of BDR jawans.

It was a danger Ali did not envisage and a stray bullet hit his head at about 10:00am. Amid firing of bullets by rebel BDR soldiers, he collapsed on the road near Jhigatala intersection.

Nearby people witnessed the incident but they could not come forward immediately to the aid of the elderly man because of heavy gunfire. He was later rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead.

"He did not know anything and was just going to buy medicine,"
said his wife Rashida Begum while she was crying at the DMCH.

Stray bullets killed three civilians, including a student, and injured over 25 others of the surrounding areas. Two senior officers of BDR were also killed during the gunfire.

Tarek Aziz, 23, a third year BBA student of People's University, was bullet hit in front of the lake at Jhigatala.


Aziz was returning to his residence from a teacher's house when the tragic incident took place. He was taken to Ibne Sina Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at about 3:00pm.

Vegetable vendor Hridoy Mia, 14, along with his father was selling vegetables in the city's Jhigatala area when a bullet hit Hridoy in his head. His father took him to a nearby hospital and later shifted to the DMCH where doctors declared him dead.

Some 19 people hit by bullets or shell splinter were taking treatment at DMCH. Lance Nayek Babul Khan was the only BDR man who was receiving treatment at the hospital.

The other injured persons who took treatment at DMCH included Akhter Hossain, 14, Zahir, Monir Hossain, Al-Amin, Kamrunnahar, a student of Dhaka University, Sayed Ahmed Rana, a student of Dhaka College, Pinton Hasan, Humayun Kabir Pintu, 38, Selim, 40, and Masud.

While talking to The Daily Star Lance Nayek Babul Khan said a bullet hit in his leg while he was entering the BDR Headquarter through gate number 5. He said he was not aware of the mutiny.

Jamaluddin, 65, who was found groaning in pain at DMCH, urged doctors to start his treatment. A group of BDR men came to his house at New Paltan adjacent to the BDR gate No. 3 at about 10:30am, he said, adding that they hurt him as he opposed the BDR move to take position on the roof of his house.

An under trial criminal named Pinton Hasan who was also brought to the DMCH following a bullet hit said he was sitting and gossiping with others under a tree outside his cell 'Monihar'.

Some four injured passers-by were found admitted to Bangladesh Medical College at Dhanmondi. They are Shakil Ahmed, 24, Rubel, 14, Masum, 25, and Sumon, 25.

The hospital authorities said they also treated four patients who were injured slightly and sent them to their houses.

Authorities of Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital (JBFH) said they received two patients. They sent one to DMCH as his condition was critical and released another after giving him first aid.

"A stray bullet hit a patient unit of the hospital. Oxygen supply of the hospital was also disrupted because of the firing,"
said Dr Junayed Shafik of the hospital.

The Daily Star - Details News

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So unfortunate these people were:tsk:
 
Mutineers tell of pent-up fury
Star Report

The BDR mutineers claim the mutiny was not culmination of any long-term plan, rather results of long-repressed feelings of being deprived of financial and other in-service benefits and being ignored by the army high command.

Speaking anonymously to The Daily Star over phone, a mutineer accused the army of enjoying all benefits and "looting" everything, while BDR personnel are given poor salaries not enough for basic living.

"I get only Tk 5,000 which is not enough to cover my monthly expenses. We are given 60 percent ration supplies for our children below 12. We have been demanding 100 percent ration as we cannot afford to buy the remaining 40 percent from the general shops."

He claims the residential facilities for the lower-level personnel are very poor, while not only army officers enjoy good facilities, their families also enjoy the same when they go abroad on UN Peace Mission.

BDR lower-level personnel are also deprived of the opportunity to join the UN missions and are deprived of the opportunity to earn foreign currency.

While carrying out border duties, BDR personnel are not even given bicycles, while army officers get "luxurious" cars, he claims.

It was not possible for The Daily Star to avail the version of the BDR officers on the mutiny till filing of the report last night.

During the BNP rule between 1991 and 1996, the BDR lower tier staged mutinies in Dhaka, Chittagong, Feni, Jessore, Khulna and Naogaon expressing similar grievances.

Those mutinies did not witness bloodshed and the personnel were assured of measures to address their issues, which were ultimately shelved.

The Daily Star - Details News

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See where the fault lies?If that time their plea was heard then today this incidence would not have happened.
Yet their actions are not justified.
 
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