RAJSHAHI, Aug 22: Former border force personnel who were dismissed earlier following the Bangladesh Rifles rebellion in 2009 staged a demonstration in Rajshahi on Thursday demanding reinstatement of their jobs.
They also called for the immediate release of their fellow members who have been languishing in jail, and impartial reinvestigation into and justice for the killing of 75 people, including 57 army officers, in the mutiny.
Over 200 of them, along with their family members, formed a human chain at Saheb Bazar Zero Point in Rajshahi city to press home their demand at 10:00am.
Addressing the human chain, the speakers said that they had been living a very miserable life since the then authorities relieved them of their duties although they did nothing wrong.
Speakers at the human chain also urged the interim-government to reinstate the jobs of those sacked BDR personnel who still have the service age, to release fellow personnel who had been serving jail term and to compensate the deceased personnel's family members.
On February 25-26, 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles soldiers instituted an armed rebellion at the force's headquarters at Pilkhana in the capital in which 57 officers deputed from the army, two wives of army officers, nine Bangladesh Rifles members, five civilians, an army soldier, and a police constable were killed.
Border guard special courts sentenced 5,926 soldiers to varying jail terms on mutiny charges in 57 cases.
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