Four days before the election, at an exchange meeting with former armed forces officers, the current Prime Minister and Chairman of the BNP, Tarique Rahman, said that if the BNP came to power with the people’s mandate, it would restore the name and uniform of the BDR, which are intertwined with the memories of the Liberation War.
He also mentioned plans to declare the day of the Pilkhana army killings as “Martyrs’ Army Day,” “Army Massacre Day,” or “National Mourning Day.”
After the election, the BNP formed the government. How far has this plan progressed? When asked, Joint Secretary of the Border Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Rebecca Khan, told The Daily Ittefaq that, “A policy decision has already been made to change the name. However, the file-processing work has not yet begun. Once a proposal comes from the BGB or the Prime Minister’s Office, the process will start. The government has only just been formed, so the process will begin soon.”
Today marks the 17th anniversary of the brutal killing of army officers at the then BDR headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka—a tragic day remembered as the Pilkhana Tragedy Day. The interim government had declared the day as “National Martyred Army Day.”
In a message marking the occasion, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved families of the martyred army members and prayed for the forgiveness of the departed souls. Various programs have been undertaken to observe the day.
What did the interim government’s investigation commission say?
The “National Independent Investigation Commission” formed by the interim government conducted an 11-month investigation and submitted its report to the government. The report stated that evidence was found of the involvement of several Awami League leaders, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, then Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, former Member of Parliament Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Mirza Azam, and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, in the Pilkhana killings. The report also mentioned the involvement of a neighboring country.
The commission stated that the Awami League, as a party, was collectively involved in the brutal killings at the then BDR headquarters in Pilkhana. It claimed that the main coordinator of the incident was then MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, and that the entire event had the “green signal” of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The commission also alleged India’s involvement.
According to the commission’s chairman, retired Major General A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman, the BDR killings were carried out to weaken the army and retain power. It further alleged that Tariq Ahmed Siddique, former Army Chief Moeen U Ahmed, and former DGFI Director General Mollah Fazle Akbar were also involved.
What did the Army Chief say?
However, on February 25 last year, at a memorial event held at the Raowa Club in Mahakhali, Dhaka, in remembrance of the army officers martyred in the Pilkhana killings, Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman said:
“One thing must always be remembered: this brutality was not committed by any army personnel. It was entirely carried out by members of the then BDR (now BGB). Full stop. There is no ‘if’ or ‘but.’ Bringing in ‘if’ and ‘but’ would disrupt the judicial process that has been ongoing for 16 or 17 years. We must be very clear about this. Do not undermine the judicial process. Those members who have been punished deserved their punishment.”
At the time of the incident, the Army Chief was retired General Moeen U Ahmed. In a recent YouTube interview, he discussed many aspects of that day’s events, claiming that the government did not provide much assistance in the investigation. However, he did not comment on any alleged conspiracy.
On February 25 and 26, 2009, at the then BDR (now BGB) headquarters, rogue members carried out arson, looting, and brutal killings under the pretext of pressing various demands. A total of 74 people were killed over the two days, including the then BDR Director General and 57 army officers, as well as 17 others, including women and children.
What happened that day?
According to case documents submitted to the High Court, February 25, 2009, was the annual “Darbar” (assembly) day of the then BDR. The event began at 9:00 a.m. in the Darbar Hall at the headquarters.
Present were Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed, Deputy Director General Brigadier General M.A. Bari, officers from various units, and BDR members of different ranks. According to the government investigation report, 2,560 people were present.
At 9:26 a.m., during the Director General’s speech, two rebel soldiers suddenly entered the stage from the rear left side; one was armed. The mutiny began. Gunfire was heard from outside the Darbar Hall. Shortly afterward, rebel soldiers with red-and-green cloths tied around their faces surrounded the hall and opened fire.
Around 10:30 a.m., the rebels lined up the officers and brought them out of the Darbar Hall. As soon as the officers, led by the Director General, stepped outside, four rebels—wearing cloths over their faces and yellow helmets—opened brushfire at the DG. After killing the DG, they killed several more officers.
Destruction continued inside Pilkhana. In the evening, the electricity supply to Pilkhana was cut, and the bodies of the slain officers were buried or removed. The following day, February 26, around 6:00 p.m., the rebels began surrendering their weapons.