10:30am Wednesday 25th March 2009, I was in my university doing my statistics class. The class ended fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, because we all went to see the news in the television. My faculty ran from the 5th floor of the campus to the ground floor hearing the news that War has started between the Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh Rifles. We started switching all the channels and the news about a mutiny of BDR(Bangladesh Rifles) was all over the television. At first we heard that the Director General(DG) of BDR has been taken hostage with many other top rank Army officers in the BDR Darbar Hall(Banquet Hall). BDR week was going on when this happened. News was that manytop ranked Army officers were already dead and some passers by were also killed in the shootout.
Courtesy Salman Saeed ©
Later at night the Home Minister Sahara Khatun went inside the BDR Headquarter in Pilkhana with some leaders of the government and the Inspector General of Police(IGP) Noor Mohammad. His son in law was also inside Pilkhana, Captain Mazharul Haider, the ADC of the DG Major General Shakil Ahmed. Some of the very few jawans surrendered their arms to the Home Minister, and before all of them surrendered Sahara Khatun came out from there. She rescued some of the family members of the Army officers who were stuck inside the headquarter. The next morning on the 26th, gunshots were heard from early morning. Few bodies of Army officers were found in the sewerage line nearby Pilkhana. At firsy two bodies were found of a Colonel and Lt. Colonel, later on bodies kept on coming out from the drains. People were shocked after seeing the dead bodies. They were not only killed, their bodies and faces were tortured by sharped objects also. After the dead bodies were found the PM took some steps. In a speech to the BDR rebels the PM stated that if they did not surrender, serious actiuons will be taken against them. The Army was furious and wanted to attack, they were all set with their soldoers, tanks, and Armoured Personal Carriers(APC). The government gave strict orders not to do anything and wanted to solve the situation in a political way. I don’t know to what extent they were successful. 46th brigade, one of the most powerful and strong batallion of the Bangladesh Army took position infront of the main gate of the headquarter. In the evening police and government representatives were allowed to enter the premises and the rebels started surrendering.
Courtesy Salman Saeed ©
After the authorities went inside the whole world was schocked by the brutality. All the officers were killed, only a few were able to save their lives. Women were raped, innocent people were killed, the DG’s wife was also killed brutally. After the search operation no bodies were found and only a handful of BDR jawans were inside the HQ. All fled by the other gates abandoning their uniforms, boots and weapons. Many mass graves were found in which the Army officers were put after the rebels killed them. The whole nation was shocked. It took more than three days to unearth all the mass graves and identify the bodies. Many children lost their father, many parents lost their son and many women lost their husband. The brutality were such that it cannot be expressed in words, 25th March of 1971 was being remembered. The brave officers who promised to serve the nation in every way possible was not meant to die like this. People are waiting for the proper justice. Bangladesh lost its very fine officers, it was a huge loss. We hope that the people of Bangladesh will get justice.
“LONG LIVE BANGLADESH”
Adib Sajed Adel ©
Adib Sajed Adel ©
Vision through Lens 