The offenders must be brought to book
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Barrister M. A. Muid Khan
FEBRUARY 25 with remain a black day in the history of Bangladesh. On this day, this year, so many officers were killed by BDR troops. The news came a great stock to all. Leaving the court, I went back to my office in West London, switched on BBC and was shocked to see the mutilated dead bodies of the army officers serving the BDR. It was difficult to absorb the shock watching so many bodies being brought out, one by one, from the mass graves in the BDR headquarters. The barbaric and heinous crimes committed against the BDR commanders by the troops were impossible to comprehend or believe. It was their duty to guard the borders of the country under the commanders, they killed.
Was it for this the valiant freedom fighters had sacrificed their lives in the Liberation War of 1971? Of course not, their dream was to create a democratic country free of arbitrary killings where every citizen can live in dignity. Unfortunately, we have failed to ensure right to life --guaranteed by the Constitution. The officers, the very best children of the nation, who dedicated their life to defending the country's sovereignty, were denied of their rights to live. These were the cowardly acts of premeditated murderers, who planned and executed the murders in cold blood.
This article is an attempt to draw the attention of the law makers of the country to ensure exemplary capital punishment to the murderers and those directly or indirectly involved in the heinous crimes.
Watching the valley of dead in the BDR headquarters, and the family members' desperate search to identify the bodies of their beloved ones, one could not but feel outrage, anger and disgust at what a section of the BDR jawans have done.
What is emerging is a sorry tale of bloody insubordination on a vast scale. On February 25, in between 9:30 and 11:00 am, a group of rebel BDR jawans in red bandanas sprayed bullets into their commanders at the annual "durbar", a meeting where the rank and file can speak out their grievances to the commanders, and without any reservation.
On that day, BBC reported that the killers dug several mass graves to dump several officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). From one mass grave alone 38 bodies of the officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were recovered, who were killed and buried during the 36-hour mutiny of the border guards. The rescuers found the bodies dumped haphazardly in the hole.
The mutineers buried the army officers deputed to the BDR, including its Director General (DG), Major General Shakil Ahmed, in the mass grave after the gruesome killing, to hide their brutality. Among the deceased, General Shakil received seven bullets in different parts of his body. One of his eyes was gouged out. Who could imagine such brutality to the BDR Director General before, during and after his death?
A total of 70 bodies were recovered. The media also reported that it was difficult to identify many of the decomposed bodies.
Anwar, a sweeper found three bodies dumped into two manholes inside the BDR headquarters. A witness to the operation said the undressed bodies were dumped first at the bottom of the hole while the uniformed bodies were found above. Many officers, who took shelter in manholes and drains, could not save themselves. Some rescuers suspect that the killers undressed many of the officers before dumping. Later, they dumped the bodies in uniform, apparently in a hurry.
Immediately after the mass killings, a BDR jawan in an interview with ATN Bangla tried to justify the mutiny and shooting the officers. How could he justify, before the camera, the brutal killings of so many talented Army officers?
Most of the allegations he made turned out to be baseless as the BDR Chief was taking steps to recruit more troops and improve the facilities for the rank and file and pay them their dues.
How could a group of BDR rebel jawans, who guard the borders, murder their commanders in such an inhuman and unsoldierly manner? They definitely tarnished the glorious image that the BDR created for itself over the decades, especially during the Liberation War.
The heart-rendering stories of the family members make one speechless.
Who can bring back the smiling face of Soniya, expecting a baby, after waiting for a child for seven years? Her husband, Major Mominul Islam was among the brutally killed. She never expected her baby would be born an orphan, never to see the father.
Mominul's sister Noorjahan is desperately searching for the body of her brother with tears rolling down her cheek.
Pritam, the elder son of Major Abdul Salam Khan, with his mother and brother has been in a similar search for his father's body, carrying his father's photograph. Pritam, his mother and brother, held hostages in a tiny room since the mutiny broke out, were released on February 26 around 3:30pm. An HSC candidate from Notre Dame College, Pritam only knows that his father was last seen in the Durbar Hall and has been missing ever since. Like others he had been to all the hospitals in the city only to return disappointed.
Major General Shakil Ahmed's mother and three sisters, accompanied by his brother-in-law MA Hasan Babul, went to the BDR headquarters with heavy hearts.
Family members of the missing officers, could be seen on TV channels, waiting outside the BDR headquarters or hospitals to identify their near and dear ones.
The nation conveyed its deepest shock and heart-felt condolences to the bereaved families, relatives and friends of the slain. Everyone prayed to the Almighty Allah for the eternal peace of the valiant officers. The bereaved families and the children deserve the nation's support as they struggle to move on.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina deserves congratulations for showing her sagacity, farsightedness and patience in handling the crisis. Instead of ordering the army to recapture the BDR headquarters, she opted for a negotiated solution, announced general amnesty, to save more life. This galvanised the law and order and security machinery in the task of disarming the rebel troops, rescuing the hostages and recovering the bodies and the weapons. However, it is her responsibility to find out and give exemplary punishment to the offenders.
The Prime Minister clarified a day later that the general amnesty would not apply to those who killed and mutinies. "They will be tried according to law and punished," her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad quoted the prime minister as saying. The government announced a three-day national mourning.
The criminals should be punished with death penalty. Although, executing the killers cannot bring the officers back, it would make one think twice before committing such crimes.
Society always uses punishment to discourage would-be criminals from unlawful activities. Since the society has the highest interest in preventing murder, it should use the strongest punishment available to deter it. If murderers are sentenced to death, potential murderers will think twice before killing for fear of losing their own life.
It is a an irony that BDR troops would carry out such a massacre. On the night of March 25, 1971 it was soldiers of the BDR, then the EPR, became the first martyrs of Bangladesh's Liberation War, fighting Pakistani occupation army's massacre. Pilkhana is a hallowed ground. These cold blooded murderers have defaced it. For restraint and maturity, the army deserve praise.
Nation should unite so that it can take the sternest measure, under the law, against the offenders. The nation needs to restore the dignity, confidence and pride of the armed forces. The failure to meet out exemplary punishment to the offenders would be failure to fulfil the desires of the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in the War of Liberation in 1971 to establish the rule of law and fundamental human rights in independent and democratic Bangladesh.
A Barrister by profession, the writer works as a legal consultant at Carr-Gomm and Appeal Consultants, a London law firm. Also an advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He can be contacted at
barristermuid@yahoo.co.uk
FEBRUARY 25 with remain a black day in the history of Bangladesh. On this day, this year, so many officers were killed by BDR troops. The news came a great stock to all. Leaving the court, I went back to my office in West London, switched on BBC and was shocked to see the mutilated dead bodies of the army officers serving the BDR. It was difficult to absorb the shock watching so many bodies being brought out, one by one, from the mass graves in the BDR headquarters. The barbaric and heinous crimes committed against the BDR commanders by the troops were impossible to comprehend or believe. It was their duty to guard the borders of the country under the commanders, they killed.
Was it for this the valiant freedom fighters had sacrificed their lives in the Liberation War of 1971? Of course not, their dream was to create a democratic country free of arbitrary killings where every citizen can live in dignity. Unfortunately, we have failed to ensure right to life --guaranteed by the Constitution. The officers, the very best children of the nation, who dedicated their life to defending the country's sovereignty, were denied of their rights to live. These were the cowardly acts of premeditated murderers, who planned and executed the murders in cold blood.
This article is an attempt to draw the attention of the law makers of the country to ensure exemplary capital punishment to the murderers and those directly or indirectly involved in the heinous crimes.
Watching the valley of dead in the BDR headquarters, and the family members' desperate search to identify the bodies of their beloved ones, one could not but feel outrage, anger and disgust at what a section of the BDR jawans have done.
What is emerging is a sorry tale of bloody insubordination on a vast scale. On February 25, in between 9:30 and 11:00 am, a group of rebel BDR jawans in red bandanas sprayed bullets into their commanders at the annual "durbar", a meeting where the rank and file can speak out their grievances to the commanders, and without any reservation.
On that day, BBC reported that the killers dug several mass graves to dump several officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). From one mass grave alone 38 bodies of the officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) were recovered, who were killed and buried during the 36-hour mutiny of the border guards. The rescuers found the bodies dumped haphazardly in the hole.
The mutineers buried the army officers deputed to the BDR, including its Director General (DG), Major General Shakil Ahmed, in the mass grave after the gruesome killing, to hide their brutality. Among the deceased, General Shakil received seven bullets in different parts of his body. One of his eyes was gouged out. Who could imagine such brutality to the BDR Director General before, during and after his death?
A total of 70 bodies were recovered. The media also reported that it was difficult to identify many of the decomposed bodies.
Anwar, a sweeper found three bodies dumped into two manholes inside the BDR headquarters. A witness to the operation said the undressed bodies were dumped first at the bottom of the hole while the uniformed bodies were found above. Many officers, who took shelter in manholes and drains, could not save themselves. Some rescuers suspect that the killers undressed many of the officers before dumping. Later, they dumped the bodies in uniform, apparently in a hurry.
Immediately after the mass killings, a BDR jawan in an interview with ATN Bangla tried to justify the mutiny and shooting the officers. How could he justify, before the camera, the brutal killings of so many talented Army officers?
Most of the allegations he made turned out to be baseless as the BDR Chief was taking steps to recruit more troops and improve the facilities for the rank and file and pay them their dues.
How could a group of BDR rebel jawans, who guard the borders, murder their commanders in such an inhuman and unsoldierly manner? They definitely tarnished the glorious image that the BDR created for itself over the decades, especially during the Liberation War.
The heart-rendering stories of the family members make one speechless.
Who can bring back the smiling face of Soniya, expecting a baby, after waiting for a child for seven years? Her husband, Major Mominul Islam was among the brutally killed. She never expected her baby would be born an orphan, never to see the father.
Mominul's sister Noorjahan is desperately searching for the body of her brother with tears rolling down her cheek.
Pritam, the elder son of Major Abdul Salam Khan, with his mother and brother has been in a similar search for his father's body, carrying his father's photograph. Pritam, his mother and brother, held hostages in a tiny room since the mutiny broke out, were released on February 26 around 3:30pm. An HSC candidate from Notre Dame College, Pritam only knows that his father was last seen in the Durbar Hall and has been missing ever since. Like others he had been to all the hospitals in the city only to return disappointed.
Major General Shakil Ahmed's mother and three sisters, accompanied by his brother-in-law MA Hasan Babul, went to the BDR headquarters with heavy hearts.
Family members of the missing officers, could be seen on TV channels, waiting outside the BDR headquarters or hospitals to identify their near and dear ones.
The nation conveyed its deepest shock and heart-felt condolences to the bereaved families, relatives and friends of the slain. Everyone prayed to the Almighty Allah for the eternal peace of the valiant officers. The bereaved families and the children deserve the nation's support as they struggle to move on.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina deserves congratulations for showing her sagacity, farsightedness and patience in handling the crisis. Instead of ordering the army to recapture the BDR headquarters, she opted for a negotiated solution, announced general amnesty, to save more life. This galvanised the law and order and security machinery in the task of disarming the rebel troops, rescuing the hostages and recovering the bodies and the weapons. However, it is her responsibility to find out and give exemplary punishment to the offenders.
The Prime Minister clarified a day later that the general amnesty would not apply to those who killed and mutinies. "They will be tried according to law and punished," her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad quoted the prime minister as saying. The government announced a three-day national mourning.
The criminals should be punished with death penalty. Although, executing the killers cannot bring the officers back, it would make one think twice before committing such crimes.
Society always uses punishment to discourage would-be criminals from unlawful activities. Since the society has the highest interest in preventing murder, it should use the strongest punishment available to deter it. If murderers are sentenced to death, potential murderers will think twice before killing for fear of losing their own life.
It is a an irony that BDR troops would carry out such a massacre. On the night of March 25, 1971 it was soldiers of the BDR, then the EPR, became the first martyrs of Bangladesh's Liberation War, fighting Pakistani occupation army's massacre. Pilkhana is a hallowed ground. These cold blooded murderers have defaced it. For restraint and maturity, the army deserve praise.
Nation should unite so that it can take the sternest measure, under the law, against the offenders. The nation needs to restore the dignity, confidence and pride of the armed forces. The failure to meet out exemplary punishment to the offenders would be failure to fulfil the desires of the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in the War of Liberation in 1971 to establish the rule of law and fundamental human rights in independent and democratic Bangladesh.
A Barrister by profession, the writer works as a legal consultant at Carr-Gomm and Appeal Consultants, a London law firm. Also an advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He can be contacted at
barristermuid@yahoo.co.uk