Bangladesh Rifles revolt

The Bangladesh Rifles Revolt ("BDR Mutiny") took place on 25 and 26 February 2009 in Peelkhana, Dhaka, organized by a group of the then BDR. After the mutiny, the name of the organization was changed to Border Guard Bangladesh or BGB for short. The company is now known as BGB. It is a paramilitary force whose main job is to guard the borders of Bangladesh. As such, they are also known as the Border Guard Force. Rebel BDR troops stormed the BDR headquarters in Pilkhana, killing 58 other army officers and 18 civilians, including BDR director general Shakil Ahmed. They fired on civilians, took many officers and their families hostage, vandalized installations and property, and looted valuables. On the second day of the uprising, unrest spread to 12 other towns where there were BDR camps. After several talks with the government, the rebels surrendered their weapons and released the hostages. The rebellion ended with the surrender.

On November 5, 2013, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court sentenced 152 people to death and 181 to life imprisonment; Another 25 were sentenced to three to ten years in prison for their involvement in the uprising. The court also acquitted 26 accused. Human rights watchdogs Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have complained that the trials did not provide defendants with adequate time-space, and that "trials were arranged to satisfy the desire for brutal retaliation."

The first day

The uprising began on the second day of the annual "BDR Week", inaugurated by then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As the session began in the "Darbar Hall" auditorium, a number of jawans (private) spoke out against high-ranking army officers, and BDR Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed was speaking. They demanded the removal of army officers from the BDR command and equal rights for BDR soldiers. The rebels then took the director general and other senior officials hostage inside the auditorium and later fired on them. They prepare heavy weapons at the main entrances to the headquarters. The Bangladesh Army and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) took a firm stand in the vicinity of the BDR headquarters.

BDR director general Shakil Ahmed was killed on the first day of the mutiny. Dozens more senior BDR commanders were killed, and Ahmed was killed when insurgents attacked the officers' residences. They also raided Ahmed's home and looted valuables. Eight civilians were killed in the extra crossfire.

On February 25, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proposed a general amnesty for the rebels, except for those involved in the killing of army officers, looting and other crimes against the state.

The rebels demanded 22 points, including the withdrawal of regular army officers from high-ranking BDR posts. Instead, they wanted the original BDR members to be promoted to higher ranks. They demanded that their officers should be selected on the basis of Bangladesh Civil Service Examination. Speaking to private television, the BDR jawans alleged that senior BDR officials were involved in a conspiracy to embezzle the salary bonuses of army officers from the Operation Dal-Bhat program and from additional responsibilities in the December 29, 2008 general elections. Operation Dal-Bhat is a welfare program run by the BDR that provides rice and other necessities to the poor. Other demands included 100% rationing activities, identification of BDR soldiers in peacekeeping missions and overall welfare of BDR members.

The second day

Home Minister Sahara Khatun persuaded some rebels to lay down their arms, assuring them that the army would not go to the BDR headquarters. As a result, the rebels surrendered their weapons and began to release the hostages. However, as was the case in Dhaka, the revolt of other BDR members began in BDR camps in at least 12 other cities. Notable among these are Feni in Chittagong, Rajshahi in the north-west and Sylhet North in the eastern border with India.

Army gathers behind tanks near Abahani ground on 28 February 2009

As of February 28, there were signs of great movement in BDR outposts in more than 48 places. The BDR jawans claimed that Satkhira, Dinajpur, Naogaon and Netrokona were occupied by Jessore BDR garrison as well as large BDR establishments. Army tanks and APCs were brought out as the army took up position, but they could not carry out the operation as high-ranking army officers of the BDR were being held hostage. Inside the BDR headquarters were heavy weapons that were controlled by the rebels. They landed tanks on the road and the army was preparing for the final attack. Paratroops and commandos were ready.

According to media reports, after the Prime Minister addressed the nation and assured BDR workers that no action would be taken against them, BDR members resumed arms surrender. But he also warned the rebels about "tough action" if they did not immediately surrender and stop all hostilities. After Sheikh Hasina's speech, the army deployed tanks in front of the BDR headquarters. Afterwards, the rebels surrendered their weapons, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. After the surrender, the Armed Police Battalion occupied the BDR headquarters.

The third day

On February 26, about 200 insurgents were arrested while trying to flee the Peelkhana headquarters in civilian clothes. Army tanks and soldiers entered the BDR headquarters. Home Minister Sahara Khatun assured that the army had entered under the supervision of the Home Ministry. He added that BDR members were kept in a safe place at the headquarters and that the army had entered to assist in the rescue and search operation. The Bangladesh Army tanks were brought in to show strength, which prompted the rest of the rebels to lay down their arms and surrender. It was not clear at the time whether the insurgency had ended in at least 12 BDR bases outside Dhaka. A search of the missing workers inside the headquarters turned up 42 more bodies. It was initially thought that more than 130 regular army officers had been killed by the rebels. As of February 28, the official death toll, including the body of the BDR chief major, was 54. Information about 41 army officers, including BDR chief General Shakil Ahmed, was found early. A mass grave was found near BDR Hospital. The rebels buried a total of 42 officers in a seven-foot-deep hole. Some bodies were dumped in the drain tunnel. Of the 57 bodies found, 52 were army officers. The government declared three days of national mourning starting from February 26.

The fourth day

The body of the BDR chief's wife was recovered and three more mass graves were found. Many of the corpses were badly decomposed and difficult to identify. Military Intelligence (MI) has announced that the rebel dead at the BDR headquarters are 63 people, and that 62 army officers are still missing. Of the 63 bodies, 48 ​​have been identified. The army postponed the janaza of those who died until the bodies were found. The paramilitary members survived the military coup.

The newly-appointed BDR director, Brigadier General Moinul Hossain, said their immediate task would be to "restore the command structure" of the paramilitary forces.

MA Mubin, the army's second-in-command, said the killers would be punished. "The BDR soldiers who took part in this barbaric and horrific massacre cannot be forgiven and will not be forgiven," he told the AFP news agency.

After the mutiny, those who were absent from their workplaces without any concessions or permission were asked to surrender within 24 hours to the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members at the BDR headquarters or the nearest sector headquarters or battalion headquarters or police station. About 100 people have responded to this call.

Casualties

A total of 64 people were killed. Among them, 57 army officers were in BDR posts. The BDR chief, deputy chief and 17 sector commanders were killed during the mutiny.

Consequences

On March 2, 2009, 49 Army officers were accorded state honors and janaza, and were buried with full Army honors; The wife of the slain director general was also buried on the same day. The government formed an investigation committee headed by the then Bangladesh Home Minister Sahara Khatun to determine the reasons behind the mutiny. The home minister himself took charge of the investigation into an incident in his own ministry, questioning the impartiality of the opposition and civil society, saying it would not lead to an impartial investigation into the whole incident. They strongly demanded that the inquiry committee be reformed. The Bangladesh Army also formed an investigation committee which started operations on March 3. The BDR, with the help of the army, RAB and police, launched "Operation Rebel Hunt" to capture the rebels. The government decided to change the name and structure of the Bangladesh Rifles and the army was deployed all over the country indefinitely. The government has asked the FBI and Scotland Yard for help with the investigation.

Prime Minister for the purpose of the army

On March 1, 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the Senakunj Army Community Center and briefed the Army members on the situation.

Judgment and punishment

Following the first arrest, members of the 36th Rifles Battalion were tried on 13 November 2010. They were charged with looting firearms and ammunition from the arsenal and firing their weapons, causing panic in the city, and misbehaving with the body of the BDR DG Major. It was alleged in court that they had made provocative statements in front of the media about General Shakil Ahmed. BDR members of the 39th Rifles Battalion were charged with looting firearms, firing and taking sides with the Dhaka rebels in February. As of January 2011, thousands of insurgents have been tried in Bangladesh.

Rebels tortured in remand about 50 people who died in prison, including physical torture and electric shocks. In addition, in many other cases, including suicide, they were accused of torture in custody. Despite being in favor of the UN Convention against Torture, these security forces regularly use torture in Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch and others have long documented the systematic use of torture in Bangladesh by its security forces, including its military, the RAB and the country's main intelligence agency, the Army Intelligence Directorate General.

About 6,000 soldiers were convicted in a public trial and sentenced to four months to seven years in prison, including fines for participating in the mutiny. The 72 soldiers who killed their senior officers were charged and tried in a civil court for murder, torture, conspiracy and other crimes.

On 5 November 2013, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court sentenced 152 people to death and 181 to life imprisonment; Twenty-five people have been sentenced to between three and ten years in prison, and 26 have been acquitted. Convicted lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict. Bangladesh Nationalist Party MP Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu was among those sentenced to life in prison.

A spokesman for Human Rights Watch described the trial as "contrary to international law." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay pointed to the flaws in the trial, calling it a "riot with national irregularities, including a lack of adequate and timely co-operation with lawyers". A spokesman for Amnesty International condemned the remarks, saying "the trial is designed to satisfy the desire for brutal revenge". According to their estimates, some of the accused have died.

The rebels have been sentenced to a mass trial that has done nothing to determine the crime and have been sentenced to death, Human Rights Watch said in a report that "the trial of nearly 6,000 suspects raises concerns about a fair trial." Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said "those responsible for the horrific violence that killed the dead should be brought to justice, but not by torture and injustice." "The government's initial response to the insurgency was proportionate and saved lives by denying the army the use of irresistible force in densely populated areas.

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