The great tragedy at BDR headquarters
Syed Jamaluddin | Friday, 13 March 2009
The human tragedy of BDR Headquarters is enormous. Not only the officers were killed but even some of the members of their families met the same fate. The number of officers killed at BDR Headquarters is far higher than those killed during the liberation war of nine months. This killing has severely depleted the strength of BDR overnight. It has dealt a serious blow to the security apparatus of the country. It came out in the press that IT personnel were also involved in the killing. IT installations of BDR were destroyed. They located the officers through mobile tracking before killing them. It would be the obligation of the government to find out the real story and unmask the objectives. This process should include not only the killers and looters but also the masterminds behind the wings. This incident must not be treated as a passing state of affairs. BDR's customary presence in the bordering areas must have dropped substantially. All concerned have urged the government to give exemplary punishment to those involved in the killing.
It would have been befitting for the Prime Minister to involve the leader of the opposition in the decision making process of quelling the BDR mutiny. Unfortunately, this did not happen. An opportunity was lost to gain the confidence of the opposition. The blame game of one party by the other is due to absence of consultation with the opposition. What we need to do now is to help overcome the immediate problems of making the BDR operational and strengthening the armed forces to overcome their loss of such a large number of officers.
The London Economist has given the reasons of BDR killing as follows:
1) the nationalists blamed India for the uprising, 2)some accused the ruling Awami League of plotting it to rid the 45,000-strong Rifles of the army officers who lead them, and create a private political army, 3)others blamed some factions within the army, and 4)Indian newspapers, just for a change, pointed the finger at Pakistan.
Our readers have the wisdom to find out the real cause. According to the Economist, Sheikh Hasina has reasons to fear the generals. It is an enigma that a disaster of this magnitude could befall the nation unnoticed by the intelligence agencies concerned. It was the duty of these agencies to warn the authorities in time. The killing at BDR Headquarters must have been planned over a period of time, coordinated at various levels and the timing synchronised before execution on 25th February. It is absurd that no one could sense the approaching danger before the whole nation was caught unaware. The deep-rooted conspiracy has shaken the government and the country. The government has taken action politically to control the situation but by then, the catastrophe had already struck and taken its toll. The government did not permit the army to move. The focus now is on how the government will deal with the situation. But in all likelihood, things will no more be the same again.
The parliamentary debate on killing by BDR turned into a blame game with the Treasury and the Opposition bench lawmakers blasting each other. Cases of previous killings were raised. The opposition lawmakers criticised the government for steps taken to handle the BDR crisis. The Treasury and the Opposition bench lawmakers described the massacre as a planned conspiracy to weaken the country's defence forces and demanded quick trial of the culprits. There is no disagreement on the objective of the massacre but nobody could say as to who have done it. The subsequent developments will unfold the story of this killing and point fingers to those who might have done it.
A large number of army officers expressed their deepest emotions, frustrations, excitement and expectations at a conference with the Prime Minister on 1st March at Sena Kunja. Some officers told the Prime Minister that they were not too happy with the way the BDR mutiny was handled and they thought it could have been ended earlier by mobilising the army quickly. They added her speech delivered five hours after the carnage began, could have been delivered earlier to calm down the mutineers. According to them, amnesty declared by the PM to the mutineers should have been conditional. As BDR's image has been shattered, it should be restructured with a new name. Army officers attending the meeting said that as the PM has heard their views, there were hopes that she would take action.
Two committees have been set up to investigate the BDR mutiny. The committee set up by the government and headed by a former secretary will look into the background of the bloody mutiny, find out the reasons behind it and submit recommendations. The committee will submit a full report. A complete enquiry report was very important for the case. Another investigation committee has been set up by the army. The committee will continue its probe until the investigation ends. The representatives of the army will be members of this committee whereas the other committee is inter-ministerial. Terms of reference of these committees are very important. Full terms of reference did not come out in the press. It is our hope that good reports will be produced by the two committees. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Scotland Yard are also assisting in the investigation. The government may form a special tribunal to try those involved in February 25-26 mutiny and killings. Everything will depend on the outcome of enquiry reports. The government would take a decision after going through the inquiry reports.
The tragic event was a pre-planned conspiracy to weaken the army. It was an attempt to bring about a division among the security forces. The national psyche has been shattered. This may have a negative effect on the flow of foreign investment. The enemies of Bangladesh will be too happy to see that their objectives have been achieved. The identity of the conspirators will unfold over a period of time even if it does not come out of the enquiry report. It is alleged that the army has been punished for their role during the caretaker regime. But the army saved the country from total chaos created by the politicians.
The focus of our attention must be to get to the roots of the massacre. The enquiry must be done objectively, without political interference or influence and with the cooperation from all the relevant agencies of the government. The question is whether the committee would be able to look into all aspects of the matter in seven days' time. The committee should be allowed to take extra time for the completion of the investigation. The forces behind the killings must be identified. Grievances of the jawans can not be the only reason for this massacre. Enemies of Bangladesh have done it to create chaos in the country. Therefore, they have to be identified.
Mutiny is the most serious offence for a military or a paramilitary force to commit. Usually a military unit or battalion involved in a mutiny is disbanded. Troops involved in leading the mutiny are court-martialed and awarded capital punishment. A large number of them may have to be screened out of service. BDR personnel whose active involvement is established through enquiry should be tried and punished speedily. The present policy of posting army officers on deputation to BDR may be phased out over a period of time. However, the method of trial will be determined by the government after getting the enquiry reports in hand.
The writer is an economist and columnist
It would have been befitting for the Prime Minister to involve the leader of the opposition in the decision making process of quelling the BDR mutiny. Unfortunately, this did not happen. An opportunity was lost to gain the confidence of the opposition. The blame game of one party by the other is due to absence of consultation with the opposition. What we need to do now is to help overcome the immediate problems of making the BDR operational and strengthening the armed forces to overcome their loss of such a large number of officers.
The London Economist has given the reasons of BDR killing as follows:
1) the nationalists blamed India for the uprising, 2)some accused the ruling Awami League of plotting it to rid the 45,000-strong Rifles of the army officers who lead them, and create a private political army, 3)others blamed some factions within the army, and 4)Indian newspapers, just for a change, pointed the finger at Pakistan.
Our readers have the wisdom to find out the real cause. According to the Economist, Sheikh Hasina has reasons to fear the generals. It is an enigma that a disaster of this magnitude could befall the nation unnoticed by the intelligence agencies concerned. It was the duty of these agencies to warn the authorities in time. The killing at BDR Headquarters must have been planned over a period of time, coordinated at various levels and the timing synchronised before execution on 25th February. It is absurd that no one could sense the approaching danger before the whole nation was caught unaware. The deep-rooted conspiracy has shaken the government and the country. The government has taken action politically to control the situation but by then, the catastrophe had already struck and taken its toll. The government did not permit the army to move. The focus now is on how the government will deal with the situation. But in all likelihood, things will no more be the same again.
The parliamentary debate on killing by BDR turned into a blame game with the Treasury and the Opposition bench lawmakers blasting each other. Cases of previous killings were raised. The opposition lawmakers criticised the government for steps taken to handle the BDR crisis. The Treasury and the Opposition bench lawmakers described the massacre as a planned conspiracy to weaken the country's defence forces and demanded quick trial of the culprits. There is no disagreement on the objective of the massacre but nobody could say as to who have done it. The subsequent developments will unfold the story of this killing and point fingers to those who might have done it.
A large number of army officers expressed their deepest emotions, frustrations, excitement and expectations at a conference with the Prime Minister on 1st March at Sena Kunja. Some officers told the Prime Minister that they were not too happy with the way the BDR mutiny was handled and they thought it could have been ended earlier by mobilising the army quickly. They added her speech delivered five hours after the carnage began, could have been delivered earlier to calm down the mutineers. According to them, amnesty declared by the PM to the mutineers should have been conditional. As BDR's image has been shattered, it should be restructured with a new name. Army officers attending the meeting said that as the PM has heard their views, there were hopes that she would take action.
Two committees have been set up to investigate the BDR mutiny. The committee set up by the government and headed by a former secretary will look into the background of the bloody mutiny, find out the reasons behind it and submit recommendations. The committee will submit a full report. A complete enquiry report was very important for the case. Another investigation committee has been set up by the army. The committee will continue its probe until the investigation ends. The representatives of the army will be members of this committee whereas the other committee is inter-ministerial. Terms of reference of these committees are very important. Full terms of reference did not come out in the press. It is our hope that good reports will be produced by the two committees. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Scotland Yard are also assisting in the investigation. The government may form a special tribunal to try those involved in February 25-26 mutiny and killings. Everything will depend on the outcome of enquiry reports. The government would take a decision after going through the inquiry reports.
The tragic event was a pre-planned conspiracy to weaken the army. It was an attempt to bring about a division among the security forces. The national psyche has been shattered. This may have a negative effect on the flow of foreign investment. The enemies of Bangladesh will be too happy to see that their objectives have been achieved. The identity of the conspirators will unfold over a period of time even if it does not come out of the enquiry report. It is alleged that the army has been punished for their role during the caretaker regime. But the army saved the country from total chaos created by the politicians.
The focus of our attention must be to get to the roots of the massacre. The enquiry must be done objectively, without political interference or influence and with the cooperation from all the relevant agencies of the government. The question is whether the committee would be able to look into all aspects of the matter in seven days' time. The committee should be allowed to take extra time for the completion of the investigation. The forces behind the killings must be identified. Grievances of the jawans can not be the only reason for this massacre. Enemies of Bangladesh have done it to create chaos in the country. Therefore, they have to be identified.
Mutiny is the most serious offence for a military or a paramilitary force to commit. Usually a military unit or battalion involved in a mutiny is disbanded. Troops involved in leading the mutiny are court-martialed and awarded capital punishment. A large number of them may have to be screened out of service. BDR personnel whose active involvement is established through enquiry should be tried and punished speedily. The present policy of posting army officers on deputation to BDR may be phased out over a period of time. However, the method of trial will be determined by the government after getting the enquiry reports in hand.
The writer is an economist and columnist