Killing at BDR HQ: National security and broader unity
Md. Masum Billah | Friday, 13 March 2009
ABOUT two weeks have elapsed since the country witnessed the brutal killing and massacre that took place in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters, the heavily guarded fort standing as a symbol of national security. A group of 'heavily armed youths,' claiming themselves to be BDR jawans, took the army officers, gathered at the Darbar Hall during the annual gathering of the BDR, hostage. First it was thought to be a revolt by a group of unhappy and deprived BDR jawans who killed a number of officers. But gradually many mysterious clues started unfolding which led us to think that it was a well-planned killing mission, executed in a well-orchestrated manner, befooling the whole state machinery. We nurture many intelligence agencies at the cost of the public exchequer but no agency could give even a single clue! This still remains most mysterious to us.
It was not possible for BDR to kill their entire leadership in such a brutal manner just for realising their demands as many tried to explain and convince our countrymen. It is learnt from the surviving officers that many jawans showed honour to them and saved them, facing many critical situations. It is clear that though many BDR jawans, moved with the masked jawans they were not involved in the brutal and treacherous killing. Now, the real criminals may name many of those who were not actually involved. Many may try to use the chance to settle scores. The investigating team and those related to this affair must consider it very subtly. If it happens, a serious negative impact may arise. Again, it is known that in police remand, people are interrogated and made to confess what they do not do or are made to confess according to the interest of the vested quarters. This tendency should also be taken into consideration. The whole affair must be dealt with ingenuity, reason and subtlety.
No sooner had the macabre mission been performed than the killer jawans and their accomplices left the spot. Several processions were going on near the BDR gates. How did it happen in the presence of the BDR forces?
Many rumours regarding the tragedy were spread across the country. It was carried out in a well planned and currency way by some quarters, testing the pulse of the wave! They said, 'Many army officers, deputed as BDR officers had punished the jawans, so, they revolted against them. But is this sensible? To maintain discipline in the army instant punishment is a regular phenomenon, not only among the BDR jawans but also among the army troops. They live with it, they manage it. So it is not the case. Some wanted to spread the rumour of plundering of the money earned through 'dal-bhat karmasuchi' (operation dal-bhat'.
The armed forces (para-military also) have to render two kinds of service to the nation. One is during war time and the other during peace time. What they did during the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities, was done as the employees of the Republic, not on behalf of any particular organisation or 'bahini'. The question of profit or loss is meaningless. They did it just according to the demands of the state machinery. So, sensible citizens are not inclined to believe that the Pilkhana tragedy was rooted in the 'dal-bhat' issue as shown on TV by shouting group of so-called mutineers with their faces covered. Taking advantage of a petty matter of discontent in a group, they carried out the most heinous attack against the army officers and the armed forces to destabilize the government and more so the country as a whole.
After the incident, some foreign newspapers and even print media, named some people who are opposition parliamentarians. The interested quarters, taking it as a clue, want to shift the burden of killing to them. How ridiculous! Is it possible for a man or a party to befool the whole state machinery and trained intelligence of the armed forces and state? The perpetrators are obviously far superior to the intelligence agencies of the government. They even know how to play the "blame game" between the position and opposition. Really, the government and the opposition will continue blaming each other and the real culprits will derive benefit from it. This behaviour is known to them.
We have already proved that our national intelligence antenna is awfully poor. We must understand that these evil forces were not alone in their killing mission; they were joined by some intruders carrying the most sophisticated arms and weapons. Just after the incident and serving their purpose, they left the spot Scot free and left the whole situation and incident quite cloudy.
It is surprising and shocking how the whole state machinery failed to sense and watch what was happening inside the Headquarters. The killers finished their officers, burnt them and buried their dead bodies in mass graves, taking a long time. During this period a series of dramas were staged inside, adjacent and surrounding areas of the headquarters. Two or three ministers entered, talked to the jawans but did not want to know where the Director General (DG) was and where were the sector commanders? Not one or two high officials were inside. More than hundred officers gathered in the headquarters to have an annual meeting in the Darbar Hall but none of those who entered there as the official representatives after the incident asked about them and their whereabouts. That seems strange, quite strange. More strange is the fact how and why the killers and non-killers escaped from the spot in spite of the reported presence of the law enforcers? Citizens of the adjoining areas covering three kilometres were asked to leave the place so that action against the BDR jawans could bw taken but the killers were allowed to flee in groups! How strange and mysterious!
Some of the weapons recovered and discovered are, according to some reports, not used by either BDR or Army. They were definitely imported from outside. It suggests a critical exposure of our national security. The whole border remained unprotected in and around the dates of the heinous crime. In spite of heavy guarding, many evil-dooers and also illegal arms, ammunitions and illegal things enter the country. God knows how many of these things entered the country during the nightmarish period.
What the government, the opposition and others should do is to stop blame game and rearrange and revitalise the whole intelligence set up. Top most priority has to be given to national security, ignoring individual and petty party interests. The more they debate, the more the perpetrators will hatch plots. We don't have any scope to be complacent over the issue of so-called peaceful solution. It seems like the situation where a man, already killed by a snake was considered lucky because the snake had not bitten in this eyes! More than hundred officers have been killed mercilessly. Their houses were burnt, some of them were burnt to death, their houses were looted and even some women were physically assaulted or violated inside the fort. The important files and documents and furniture have been burnt and destabilized. Still we tend to be complacent and try to 'win' praise and shower words of praise, claiming that the situation has been brought under control peacefully. What kind of peaceful process was it?
It is quite unfortunate that the situation failed to produce a common platform for our leaders to stand together. It is high time the government revamped new blood into the artery of the BDR and reconstructed the para-military force in consultation with the patriotic forces, military experts, career diplomats, civil society and university teachers. Above all, a platform must be created for a national consensus.
The writer is Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He may be reached at
e-mail: [email protected]
It was not possible for BDR to kill their entire leadership in such a brutal manner just for realising their demands as many tried to explain and convince our countrymen. It is learnt from the surviving officers that many jawans showed honour to them and saved them, facing many critical situations. It is clear that though many BDR jawans, moved with the masked jawans they were not involved in the brutal and treacherous killing. Now, the real criminals may name many of those who were not actually involved. Many may try to use the chance to settle scores. The investigating team and those related to this affair must consider it very subtly. If it happens, a serious negative impact may arise. Again, it is known that in police remand, people are interrogated and made to confess what they do not do or are made to confess according to the interest of the vested quarters. This tendency should also be taken into consideration. The whole affair must be dealt with ingenuity, reason and subtlety.
No sooner had the macabre mission been performed than the killer jawans and their accomplices left the spot. Several processions were going on near the BDR gates. How did it happen in the presence of the BDR forces?
Many rumours regarding the tragedy were spread across the country. It was carried out in a well planned and currency way by some quarters, testing the pulse of the wave! They said, 'Many army officers, deputed as BDR officers had punished the jawans, so, they revolted against them. But is this sensible? To maintain discipline in the army instant punishment is a regular phenomenon, not only among the BDR jawans but also among the army troops. They live with it, they manage it. So it is not the case. Some wanted to spread the rumour of plundering of the money earned through 'dal-bhat karmasuchi' (operation dal-bhat'.
The armed forces (para-military also) have to render two kinds of service to the nation. One is during war time and the other during peace time. What they did during the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities, was done as the employees of the Republic, not on behalf of any particular organisation or 'bahini'. The question of profit or loss is meaningless. They did it just according to the demands of the state machinery. So, sensible citizens are not inclined to believe that the Pilkhana tragedy was rooted in the 'dal-bhat' issue as shown on TV by shouting group of so-called mutineers with their faces covered. Taking advantage of a petty matter of discontent in a group, they carried out the most heinous attack against the army officers and the armed forces to destabilize the government and more so the country as a whole.
After the incident, some foreign newspapers and even print media, named some people who are opposition parliamentarians. The interested quarters, taking it as a clue, want to shift the burden of killing to them. How ridiculous! Is it possible for a man or a party to befool the whole state machinery and trained intelligence of the armed forces and state? The perpetrators are obviously far superior to the intelligence agencies of the government. They even know how to play the "blame game" between the position and opposition. Really, the government and the opposition will continue blaming each other and the real culprits will derive benefit from it. This behaviour is known to them.
We have already proved that our national intelligence antenna is awfully poor. We must understand that these evil forces were not alone in their killing mission; they were joined by some intruders carrying the most sophisticated arms and weapons. Just after the incident and serving their purpose, they left the spot Scot free and left the whole situation and incident quite cloudy.
It is surprising and shocking how the whole state machinery failed to sense and watch what was happening inside the Headquarters. The killers finished their officers, burnt them and buried their dead bodies in mass graves, taking a long time. During this period a series of dramas were staged inside, adjacent and surrounding areas of the headquarters. Two or three ministers entered, talked to the jawans but did not want to know where the Director General (DG) was and where were the sector commanders? Not one or two high officials were inside. More than hundred officers gathered in the headquarters to have an annual meeting in the Darbar Hall but none of those who entered there as the official representatives after the incident asked about them and their whereabouts. That seems strange, quite strange. More strange is the fact how and why the killers and non-killers escaped from the spot in spite of the reported presence of the law enforcers? Citizens of the adjoining areas covering three kilometres were asked to leave the place so that action against the BDR jawans could bw taken but the killers were allowed to flee in groups! How strange and mysterious!
Some of the weapons recovered and discovered are, according to some reports, not used by either BDR or Army. They were definitely imported from outside. It suggests a critical exposure of our national security. The whole border remained unprotected in and around the dates of the heinous crime. In spite of heavy guarding, many evil-dooers and also illegal arms, ammunitions and illegal things enter the country. God knows how many of these things entered the country during the nightmarish period.
What the government, the opposition and others should do is to stop blame game and rearrange and revitalise the whole intelligence set up. Top most priority has to be given to national security, ignoring individual and petty party interests. The more they debate, the more the perpetrators will hatch plots. We don't have any scope to be complacent over the issue of so-called peaceful solution. It seems like the situation where a man, already killed by a snake was considered lucky because the snake had not bitten in this eyes! More than hundred officers have been killed mercilessly. Their houses were burnt, some of them were burnt to death, their houses were looted and even some women were physically assaulted or violated inside the fort. The important files and documents and furniture have been burnt and destabilized. Still we tend to be complacent and try to 'win' praise and shower words of praise, claiming that the situation has been brought under control peacefully. What kind of peaceful process was it?
It is quite unfortunate that the situation failed to produce a common platform for our leaders to stand together. It is high time the government revamped new blood into the artery of the BDR and reconstructed the para-military force in consultation with the patriotic forces, military experts, career diplomats, civil society and university teachers. Above all, a platform must be created for a national consensus.
The writer is Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He may be reached at
e-mail: [email protected]