Evidences gathered in BDR carnage probe
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Blood-stained evidences, records of conversation on mobile phones and SIMs, and duty roster of the day of carnage inside the BDR headquarters have already been collected to track down the real offenders, a military spokesman said Tuesday, reports UNB.
Army, police and other law-enforcing agencies are working in coordination inside the haunted BDR headquarters to bring the real perpetrators of the carnage to justice, he said, as reports reaching the UNB newsroom said the 'Operation Rebel Hunt' also continued in different parts of the country.
Director, Military Operations, Brig Gen ATM Ziaul Hasan told reporters at the banquet hall of Dhaka Cantonment that the contingent inside the HQ were securing arms, ammunition and unexploded grenades and evidences of the February 25-26 carnage, which left a good number of army officers and a few others dead.
The forces are also providing security to those Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members who have joined the service voluntarily and working to restore discipline.
He said they are also assisting the CID inquiry into a case filed with the Lalbagh police station concerning the killings and helping both the government inquiry committee and the army inquiry committee in performing their respective tasks.
In reply to a question, Brig Hassan said arms and ammunition of the beleaguered BDR jawans are now under police control. 'Those BDR members, who reported to the Headquarters, are undergoing medical tests.'
He said five army officers are now missing. They are Col Gulzar, Lt Col Manjur Elahi, Maj Abu Syeed Gazzali, Maj Azizul Hakim and Capt Tanvir Haider. Besides, three bodies are in the CMH awaiting DNA tests.
Asked if the report of the army inquiry committee will be made public, Brig Hassan said the inquiry is the army's internal matter.
'It is working under set terms of reference as to who were involved, why the incident was staged and to make recommendations for stopping recurrence of such incident.'
According to bdnews24.com, the body of one more army officer, who was on the latest missing list, was 'primarily identified' Tuesday while the alleged leader of the BDR rebels, Touhidul Alam, and four others were arrested in the capital in still unclear circumstances.
Two bodies, out of five that remained unidentified at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue, were identified.
Major Kazi Ashraf Hossain was identified by his sister Ashrafunnisa, who told reporters that she made the primary identification by a scar on the nose.
Subedar Major Nurul Islam was identified by his son Ashraful Islam, by his beard.
Authorities said the bodies would be handed over to the families after further confirmation.
The army announced Monday that just six officers were missing, in the wake of the BDR carnage, revising the figure down from 72 as earlier estimated by military intelligence.
Ten bodies were among the last discovered in a shallow grave on Feb 28 following the carnage. The body of the BDR chief's wife was among the ten.
Five of those ten bodies remained unidentified at DMCH morgue until Tuesday.
However, Commander A K Azad, director of legal and media wing of the elite Rapid Action Battalion, said, 'Five including DAD Touhid and sepoy Rahim have been arrested in Hajaribagh.'
The RAB officer could not give the other names immediately, and did not give further details about the circumstances in which they were held.
Sepoy Rahim was also among the six the Lalbagh police named in the case, registered Saturday night. A magistrate Sunday took the charges into cognizance.
Over a thousand BDR men were also charged, but Lalbagh Thana OC Nobojyoti Khisha did not identify them.
The other four names that Khisha mentioned in his submission were DAD Nasiruddin Khan, DAD Mirza Mahbubur Rahman, Jawan Abdur Rahim, DAD Jalil (one name given).
'More DADs may be involved with the incident,' Khisa had said after filing the case.
BSS adds: The surviving army officers have been requested to join their service immediately, a Home Ministry press release said Tuesday.
The officers, who had been working at Pilkhana are asked to report to the headquarters soon.
The families of the army officers killed in the BDR carnage will each get Tk 500 thousand (5 lakh) for "emergency needs", an Inter Service Public Relations Department press release said Tuesday.
The release said the money was meant to meet immediate requirements and would come from a navy fund.
According to another report, the immigration police at Benapole Land Port were asked Tuesday to raise vigilance at the check-post so that the culprits who were involved in the Pilkhana massacre cannot cross the border to avoid arrest.
The instruction came from a meeting of the officials of Operation Rebel Hunt with all departmental heads of district administration, law enforcing agencies and upazila chairmen and municipal mayors of the district held at conference room of Jessore Collectorate.
Army, police and other law-enforcing agencies are working in coordination inside the haunted BDR headquarters to bring the real perpetrators of the carnage to justice, he said, as reports reaching the UNB newsroom said the 'Operation Rebel Hunt' also continued in different parts of the country.
Director, Military Operations, Brig Gen ATM Ziaul Hasan told reporters at the banquet hall of Dhaka Cantonment that the contingent inside the HQ were securing arms, ammunition and unexploded grenades and evidences of the February 25-26 carnage, which left a good number of army officers and a few others dead.
The forces are also providing security to those Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members who have joined the service voluntarily and working to restore discipline.
He said they are also assisting the CID inquiry into a case filed with the Lalbagh police station concerning the killings and helping both the government inquiry committee and the army inquiry committee in performing their respective tasks.
In reply to a question, Brig Hassan said arms and ammunition of the beleaguered BDR jawans are now under police control. 'Those BDR members, who reported to the Headquarters, are undergoing medical tests.'
He said five army officers are now missing. They are Col Gulzar, Lt Col Manjur Elahi, Maj Abu Syeed Gazzali, Maj Azizul Hakim and Capt Tanvir Haider. Besides, three bodies are in the CMH awaiting DNA tests.
Asked if the report of the army inquiry committee will be made public, Brig Hassan said the inquiry is the army's internal matter.
'It is working under set terms of reference as to who were involved, why the incident was staged and to make recommendations for stopping recurrence of such incident.'
According to bdnews24.com, the body of one more army officer, who was on the latest missing list, was 'primarily identified' Tuesday while the alleged leader of the BDR rebels, Touhidul Alam, and four others were arrested in the capital in still unclear circumstances.
Two bodies, out of five that remained unidentified at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue, were identified.
Major Kazi Ashraf Hossain was identified by his sister Ashrafunnisa, who told reporters that she made the primary identification by a scar on the nose.
Subedar Major Nurul Islam was identified by his son Ashraful Islam, by his beard.
Authorities said the bodies would be handed over to the families after further confirmation.
The army announced Monday that just six officers were missing, in the wake of the BDR carnage, revising the figure down from 72 as earlier estimated by military intelligence.
Ten bodies were among the last discovered in a shallow grave on Feb 28 following the carnage. The body of the BDR chief's wife was among the ten.
Five of those ten bodies remained unidentified at DMCH morgue until Tuesday.
However, Commander A K Azad, director of legal and media wing of the elite Rapid Action Battalion, said, 'Five including DAD Touhid and sepoy Rahim have been arrested in Hajaribagh.'
The RAB officer could not give the other names immediately, and did not give further details about the circumstances in which they were held.
Sepoy Rahim was also among the six the Lalbagh police named in the case, registered Saturday night. A magistrate Sunday took the charges into cognizance.
Over a thousand BDR men were also charged, but Lalbagh Thana OC Nobojyoti Khisha did not identify them.
The other four names that Khisha mentioned in his submission were DAD Nasiruddin Khan, DAD Mirza Mahbubur Rahman, Jawan Abdur Rahim, DAD Jalil (one name given).
'More DADs may be involved with the incident,' Khisa had said after filing the case.
BSS adds: The surviving army officers have been requested to join their service immediately, a Home Ministry press release said Tuesday.
The officers, who had been working at Pilkhana are asked to report to the headquarters soon.
The families of the army officers killed in the BDR carnage will each get Tk 500 thousand (5 lakh) for "emergency needs", an Inter Service Public Relations Department press release said Tuesday.
The release said the money was meant to meet immediate requirements and would come from a navy fund.
According to another report, the immigration police at Benapole Land Port were asked Tuesday to raise vigilance at the check-post so that the culprits who were involved in the Pilkhana massacre cannot cross the border to avoid arrest.
The instruction came from a meeting of the officials of Operation Rebel Hunt with all departmental heads of district administration, law enforcing agencies and upazila chairmen and municipal mayors of the district held at conference room of Jessore Collectorate.