Staff Reporter :
The tragic events at Pilkhana in 2009, widely referred to as the “BDR Mutiny,” were not an act of revolt but rather a premeditated massacre, according to convicted Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers.
In a press conference held at the Abdus Salam Auditorium in the Jatiya Press Club, they demanded a reinvestigation into the incident, calling for all related reports to be made public.
The convicted soldiers alleged that the narrative suggesting the killings were triggered by a dispute over “Operation Dal-Bhat” was a deliberate misdirection, intended to obscure the true motives behind the massacre. They further claimed that a neighbouring country played a role in the incident.
During the press conference, Salah Uddin Gazi, a convicted BDR soldier (No. 47592), made serious accusations against key figures in the Awami League, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, and Sheikh Selim were directly involved in the Pilkhana massacre. If an independent investigation commission is formed, their names will certainly surface,” Gazi alleged.
He added that he was unaware of any historical precedent where a country’s prime minister conspired with a foreign nation to orchestrate the killing of 57 military officers in the capital.
Another convicted soldier, Habildar Nuruzzaman, noted that two investigative committees were formed at the time, one of which was led by Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who is currently serving as the Home Affairs Advisor to the interim government.
Nuruzzaman claimed that the report released to the media had been revised three times before its publication, urging the release of the complete report.
The killings at the Pilkhana headquarters of the BDR on February 25-26, 2009, which resulted in the deaths of 74 individuals, including 57 army officers, sent shockwaves across the nation.
The families of the victims have since requested that the incident be referred to as the “BDR Massacre” instead of the “BDR Mutiny.”
Among their demands, the families proposed that February 25 be officially recognised as “Shaheed Shena Dibosh” through an official gazette, with all fallen officers acknowledged as “Shaheed” (martyrs).
They also called for the national flag to be flown at half-mast annually on this day and for the inclusion of a chapter on the BDR Pilkhana tragedy in school textbooks, ensuring future generations are informed of the sacrifices made.
Additionally, the families appealed to the interim government to ensure that no innocent former BDR soldiers remain imprisoned and to reinstate or compensate Bangladesh Army officers who lost their jobs for advocating for justice.