‘Pilkhana Massacre Day’ observe with an aura of mourning

Leaders of the 12-party alliance at the discussion on Pilkhana Massacre Day on Saturday

On the initiative of the 12-party alliance, a discussion meeting titled ‘Pilkhana Massacre Day’ was organized at Shishu Kalyan Auditorium, Dhaka on 25th February 2023 at 10 am on Saturday. The meeting was moderated by Advocate Ehsanul Huda and chaired by Jatiya Party Chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider.

The meeting was discussed by Major General (retd.) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim Bir Pratik, Chairman, Bangladesh Kallyan Party, Dr. Mostafizur Rahman Iran Chairman, Bangladesh Labor Party, KM Abu Taher, Chairman, NDP, Mufti Golam Mohiuddin Ekram, Secretary General, Jamiat Ulama Islam. Top leaders of 12 party alliances spoke at the discussion.

Chairman of Bangladesh Kalyan Party, General Ibrahim Birpratik said, in the name of rebellion, several hundred members of the then BDR rebelled on February 25 during the BDR (currently BGB) week in 2009. 74 people including 57 army officers were killed in their hands at Pilkhana headquarters. On this day in 2009, 57 army officers were killed in Pilkhana of the capital.

Among whom was the then DG of BDR (now BGB) Major General Shakeel Ahmed. Some unruly jawans killed 17 other military-civilian people, including the then DG’s wife. The rampage that the misguided jawans carried out that day still bleeds people’s hearts. The people of the country have not yet forgotten the violence. He demanded declaration of Pilkhana Day on February 25 as Martyred Army Day.

Bangladesh Labor Party Chairman Dr. Mostafizur Rahman Iran said, after the Pilkhana murder, there was an investigation and it was prosecuted. There are still questions about the Pilkhana murder, such big mass murder did not happen suddenly. There must have been some big conspiracy behind it. But the question is why the intelligence agencies did not know the matter? If they knew why this conspiracy was not prevented. These things still cause doubts, suspicion and pain in people’s minds. We think these questions should end and everyone should be held accountable for their actions, he added. Because, due to lack of accountability, many major incidents happen. Just as order needs to be maintained in all cases, it must be ensured whether it is properly maintained or the accountability of who is responsible, so that such incidents do not happen again in the future.

Chairman of Jatiya Party, Mustafa Jamal Haider, said that the rampage that rebel BDR members carried out that day in the headquarters Pilkhana, is not found in the history of rebellion of any force in the world. The then commander of BDR Dhaka sector, Colonel Mojibul Haque, was killed in a room on the fourth floor of 36 Rifle Battalion and his body was thrown down. In this way the army officers were killed one by one. BDR soldiers indulged in various misdeeds including looting and arson. Later, after negotiations between the rebels and the government, the insurgency ended the following day on February 26, with the handing over of arms, bullets and grenades. As a result of the incident, the name of the paramilitary force Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) was changed to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). A total of 58 cases were filed in this incident of murder, looting and rebellion. Among them, 152 people were sentenced to death, 423 people were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and 262 of the 277 people were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from three months to 19 years in a case of murder. 161 people including late BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali were sentenced to life imprisonment. On the other hand, a total of 5,926 members of the BDR were sentenced to various terms (from four months to seven years) in 57 cases filed for rebellion. On January 8, 2020, the full copy of the High Court verdict in the much-discussed Pilkhana murder case was published. The judgment of 29 thousand 59 pages was published after the signature of the three judges who delivered the verdict.

Chairman of NDP KM Abu Taher said that the conspirators behind this incident have not come out yet. Justice will come only when the conspirators behind it are identified and brought to justice. He said, we have come to talk about the commission. This commission will investigate why the incident happened, who did it and they will be prosecuted according to the criminal law. He also said that it is clearly written in paragraph 19 of the government’s investigation report that the conspirators are still behind the curtain. So the responsibility goes to the government to bring out the conspirators.

Mufti Gholam Mohiuddin Ekram, secretary general of Jamiat Ulama Islam, said that those who were martyred in the killing were skilled and meritorious officers of the army. Officer Gulzar spent his time in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB); He gained fame across the country by taking effective action against the criminals. Other army officers also displayed many skills in various fields, especially represented Bangladesh with great respect in the peacekeeping force. The conspirators know that such killings will cause many weak men to leave the army, always in fear and thus unable to do their duty to the country.

All those present in the discussion meeting expressed dissatisfaction with the judicial process of this incident and demanded to bring the domestic and foreign conspirators behind the scenes to justice. – Press release