BDR carnage 7th anniv being observed

The nation mourns the victims of 2009 mutiny in the then Bangladesh Rifles on Thursday marking the seventh anniversary of the carnage.
Seventy four people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the mutiny in BDR (now Border Guard Bangladesh) headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka in 2009.
Relatives of the victims, government high-ups and Border Guard Bangladesh and army officers paid tributes to the martyrs by placing wreaths at their graves at Banani Graveyard in the city.
A somber environment descended there as the family members burst into tears.
Former military officers now leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party also paid tribute to the victims at the graveyard.
BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman, also a former chief of army staff, ASM Hannan Shah, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed were in the delegation. After placing wreaths, the iterated the demand of the families to initiate inquiry to identify and trace the plotters of heinous act.
To mark the day, special prayers are being offered in all mosques in all regions, sectors, institutions and units of the BGB and at its Pilkhana headquarters and BOPs, seeking divine blessings for the departed souls.
United News of Bangladesh adds: besides, a doa and milad mahfil will be held at Fazlur Rahman Khandaker Auditorium at Pilkhana BGB headquarters at 4:45 pm on Friday.
On February 25, 2009, hundreds of Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men rose up in armed revolt at Darbar Hall during the three-day ‘BDR Week’ inside the Pilkhana headquarters and killed 74 people, including 57 deputed army officers.
The mutiny finally ended the next day (Feb 26) with the surrender of the firearms and grenades through negotiation between the government and the BDR rebels.
After the mutiny, BDR was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and 58 cases were filed — one for serious crimes, including murder and looting, and the rest for mutiny.
Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms and 277 others acquitted in the country’s largest-ever killing case.
Among the convicts, 161 people, including late BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali, were sentenced to life term imprisonment while 262 others to different jail terms starting from three months to 19 years.
On the other hand, a total of 5,926 BDR personnel were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from four months to seven years in the 57 mutiny cases.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.com