Commission to be formed to probe 2009 BDR mutiny
Staff Reporter :
The government has decided to form a new commission to reinvestigate the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny at Pilkhana, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting with heads of departments and agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Salahuddin said the move reflects both the government’s commitment and its election manifesto.
He noted that the authorities would either conduct a comprehensive reinvestigation or proceed based on the findings of the new commission to ensure justice.
The home minister also said a large number of what he described as “harassment cases” were filed after 5 August 2024, causing hardship to many people, including business leaders and prominent citizens.
Police have been directed to review such cases and submit reports so that innocent individuals are not subjected to undue harassment, he added.
Salahuddin stressed that restoring law and order and rebuilding public confidence remain the government’s top priorities.
He warned that “mob culture” would no longer be tolerated and that strict action would be taken against any such incidents.
“The practice of mobilising mobs to block highways or roads to press demands is over,” he said, adding that legitimate demands must be pursued through lawful channels such as submitting memoranda, holding rallies or assemblies, or seeking legal remedies in court.
During the meeting, instructions were issued to superintendents of police not to extend protocol privileges to anyone outside legal provisions for political reasons.
Other decisions included recruiting 2,701 constables to fill vacant posts and investigating whether identity fraud occurred in past constable recruitment processes.
The home minister also said that transfers of officers-in-charge carried out through a lottery system ahead of national elections will be reviewed, with future postings to be made on the basis of merit and competence, claiming the earlier process lacked transparency.
In addition, firearms licences issued during the previous government’s tenure will be re-verified and scrutinised, he added.
Earlier, BDR mutiny took place on February 25-26 in 2009 at the headquarters of the BDR paramilitary force in Pilkhana, Dhaka.
The mutineers in 33 hour upheaval killed 74 people, including BDR DG and his wife, 57 army officers, two of their wives, and 15 others.
