Hasina gives green signal, Taposh coordinates in BDR massacre
Staff Reporter :
The National Independent Investigation Commission has directly accused the Awami League leadership of orchestrating and enabling the 2009 BDR mutiny that left dozens of army officers dead, naming former MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh as the central coordinator of the massacre.
The commission, led by retired Major General A L M Fazlur Rahman, handed its long-awaited report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at Jamuna State Guest House on Sunday.
The submission marks the first comprehensive attempt by the state to answer the painful questions that have lingered for more than 16 years.
At the time, the Chief Adviser said, “The nation has long been in the dark about the BDR massacre.
The role you’ve played in uncovering the truth will be remembered. On behalf of the nation, I thank you.”
He added that the horrific incident raised many questions over the years, and this work will finally bring those questions to an end.
“This report contains many lessons. It will remain a valuable asset for the nation,” he said.
Commission Chief Fazlur Rahman noted that the investigation was conducted with the highest level of professionalism to ensure it was proper, impartial, and error-free.
“When we began the work, many of the clues and evidence from this 16-year-old incident had already been destroyed,” he said. “Many of those involved had left the country.”
“We followed two processes. We summoned witnesses and listened to some of them for up to eight hours – as long as they wished to speak.
We spoke to those who were involved in the earlier investigations. We collected their reports and gathered other elements.”
He said the commission tried to address every question the public had about the BDR massacre, including identifying who played what role, and why the army stood by without taking action.
He added that the investigation found strong evidence of both external forces and the then ruling party, the Awami League, being directly involved in the massacre.
Commission member Jahangir Kabir Talukder, speaking about the findings, said both surface-level and root causes behind the incident had been identified.
He said the massacre was pre-planned, and the chief coordinator behind it was then Member of Parliament Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
He added that the local Awami League played a direct role in protecting those involved.
“They entered Pilkhana with a procession of 20-25 people, and by the time they came out, that procession had grown to more than two hundred.”
He said the entire operation took place with the “green signal” of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On the question of responsibility, he said it rested on the then head of government as well as the army chief.
“A political decision was taken to resolve the incident. The police, RAB, and intelligence agencies also demonstrated extreme failure.”
He said some print and electronic media outlets, along with a few journalists, acted unprofessionally during the incident.
He also stated that the identities and full information of the BDR members who met with Sheikh Hasina at the state guesthouse Jamuna (then the Prime Minister’s residence) during the crisis were not properly recorded or preserved.
The commission made several recommendations in the report to prevent such incidents in the armed forces in the future, and to ensure justice for the victims.
The other members of the commission are: Major General Md Jahangir Kabir Talukder (Retd.), Brigadier General Md Saidur Rahman Bir Pratik (Retd.), retired joint secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, DIG (Retd.) Dr M Akbar Ali, Associate Professor Md Shariful Islam of Dhaka University’s Department of Political Science, and Assistant Professor Md Shahnewaz Khan Chandan of the Institute of Education and Research at Jagannath University.
On the occasion of the event, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant on Defence and National Integration retired Lieutenant General Abdul Hafiz, and Home Secretary Nasimul Gani were present.