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Five years after -
bdnews24.com
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has been reorganised as Border guards Bangladesh (BGB) -- a process of re-christening initiated after the bloody mutiny in 2009, in which 74 people including 57 army officers were brutally murdered.
The mutiny by some soldiers of the erstwhile BDR started at its Peelkhana headquarters on Feb 25, 2009.
By the time it was controlled a day later, it had hit national and the international headlines because of the terrible massacre.
The mutiny spread to other BDR camps across the country but no killing was reported outside Dhaka.
Though some suggested deeper conspiracies behind the rebellion, police investigators concluded that the BDR personnel's pent up grievances led them to revolt.
The court, in its verdict on the case of murder and looting, observed that the mutiny was orchestrated with the motive to destroy the military security system and might have been engineered to weaken the country's economy.
It said involving the border guards with market activities like 'Operation Dal-bhat', introduced by the last caretaker government, had been 'unwise'.
The court believed there were intelligence 'gaps' as well, involving holding back of critical information of a brewing mutiny.
Two types of cases, totalling 58 in all, were filed over the bloody incident – one for serious crimes like murders and looting and the rest for mutiny and disaffection.
Trials in 57 cases concerning the mutiny have been concluded more than a year ago, in which 5,296 border guards have been handed down various sentences.
Of them, 152 personnel, Jawans and non-commissioned officers were sentenced to death for murders and looting in a verdict on Nov 5 last year.
Never before had so many accused received death penalty in a single case in the country’s history.
The court also handed down life sentence to 161 people, including former BNP MP Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali.
The mutiny
On the morning of Feb 25, 2009, just after 9am, gunfire was heard at Peelkhana.
Although many mistook it for ceremonial firing as part of the ongoing ‘BDR Week’, it actually signalled the outbreak of the mutiny.
In no time, the mutiny spread to other BDR sectors outside Dhaka.
As reports of a full-blown mutiny began to emerge and the lives of army officers including the BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed appeared in danger, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held an emergency meeting with the military chiefs.
The meeting decided to negotiate with the mutiny leaders in an effort to end the rebellion without any bloodshed.
But it was too late and it emerged a day after the mutineers decided to surrender that as many as 57 army officers including Gen Shakil had been brutally murdered.
To the horrors of the nation some mass graves were discovered on Feb 26 in which the mutilated bodies of Gen Shakil, his wife and several army officers were found.
bdnews24.com
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has been reorganised as Border guards Bangladesh (BGB) -- a process of re-christening initiated after the bloody mutiny in 2009, in which 74 people including 57 army officers were brutally murdered.
The mutiny by some soldiers of the erstwhile BDR started at its Peelkhana headquarters on Feb 25, 2009.
By the time it was controlled a day later, it had hit national and the international headlines because of the terrible massacre.
The mutiny spread to other BDR camps across the country but no killing was reported outside Dhaka.
Though some suggested deeper conspiracies behind the rebellion, police investigators concluded that the BDR personnel's pent up grievances led them to revolt.
The court, in its verdict on the case of murder and looting, observed that the mutiny was orchestrated with the motive to destroy the military security system and might have been engineered to weaken the country's economy.
It said involving the border guards with market activities like 'Operation Dal-bhat', introduced by the last caretaker government, had been 'unwise'.
The court believed there were intelligence 'gaps' as well, involving holding back of critical information of a brewing mutiny.
Two types of cases, totalling 58 in all, were filed over the bloody incident – one for serious crimes like murders and looting and the rest for mutiny and disaffection.
Trials in 57 cases concerning the mutiny have been concluded more than a year ago, in which 5,296 border guards have been handed down various sentences.
Of them, 152 personnel, Jawans and non-commissioned officers were sentenced to death for murders and looting in a verdict on Nov 5 last year.
Never before had so many accused received death penalty in a single case in the country’s history.
The court also handed down life sentence to 161 people, including former BNP MP Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali.
The mutiny
On the morning of Feb 25, 2009, just after 9am, gunfire was heard at Peelkhana.
Although many mistook it for ceremonial firing as part of the ongoing ‘BDR Week’, it actually signalled the outbreak of the mutiny.
In no time, the mutiny spread to other BDR sectors outside Dhaka.
As reports of a full-blown mutiny began to emerge and the lives of army officers including the BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed appeared in danger, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held an emergency meeting with the military chiefs.
The meeting decided to negotiate with the mutiny leaders in an effort to end the rebellion without any bloodshed.
But it was too late and it emerged a day after the mutineers decided to surrender that as many as 57 army officers including Gen Shakil had been brutally murdered.
To the horrors of the nation some mass graves were discovered on Feb 26 in which the mutilated bodies of Gen Shakil, his wife and several army officers were found.
