Ashraful Islam Joy:

The members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), who were sacked centering BDR mutiny in 2009, formed a human chain at Muktir Shopan area near Baza’ar Station in Sirajganj town on Monday demanding reinstatement of their jobs.

They also demanded further investigation and re-trial of the incident for the sake of fair justice.

Sacked BDR members and their families are seen forming human chain at Muktir Shopan in Sirajganj town demanding job restatement. Photo: TDS

Several hundreds of people including the sacked BDR members and their families took part in the demonstrations.

They also brought out a procession that started from Muktir Shopan marched the main streets in the town. Later, the demonstrators submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mir Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman seeking immediate steps in this regard.

It is to be mentioned that, On February 25 and 26, 2009, just 50 days after Sheikh Hasina’s government assumed power, a mutiny broke out at the BDR (now BGB) headquarters in Pilkhana. A group of BDR soldiers rebelled, taking control of the headquarters.

During this mutiny, they killed 57 army officers, including Major-General Shakil Ahmed, the then Director-General of BDR, along with 17 civilians. The mutineers also fired on civilians, held several officers and their families hostage, vandalised property, and looted valuables. After several rounds of negotiations with the government, the rebels eventually surrendered their weapons, leading to the resolution of the mutiny.

On November 5, 2013, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court sentenced 152 persons to death and 161 others to life imprisonment for their involvement in the mutiny. Additionally, 25 persons were given prison terms ranging from three to ten years, while 277 individuals were acquitted.