BDR Carnage
Victim families want to know the truth
The nation yesterday paid homage to the army officers and some others including civilians killed during a mutiny at the Pilkhana headquarters of erstwhile BDR on this day in 2009.
Family members and relatives of the slain army officers broke down into tears, as they visited Banani Military Graveyard to pray for the departed souls.
The chiefs of the three services and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), formerly BDR, alongside different organisations placed wreaths at the graves of the carnage victims.
On behalf of the president and the prime minister, president's defence secretary Maj Gen Kazi Fakhruddin Ahmed and PM's additional defence secretary Lt Col Sheikh Md Moniruzzaman laid the wreaths.
In their honour, a minute's silence was also observed. Discussions were held to recall their memories.
At the graveyard, many of the victims' family members told journalists that it did not seem the trial of the carnage would be completed soon. They also said they wanted to know the truth behind the killings and see its end.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, who was talking to journalists after placing wreaths at the graveyard, said, “There are so many mysteries behind the carnage. The mysteries are yet to be solved. The nation wants to know who were behind the mutiny”.
The former president stressed the need for finding the masterminds and real culprits, involved in the bloody mutiny.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, however, said the trial of the BDR mutiny case was going on properly, and it would be finished in due time.
He also trashed claims that fettering the under-trial accused is a violation of human rights.
The minister was addressing the inauguration of a training course for district and sessions judges and equivalent judicial officers in the city.
BGB chief Maj Gen Anwar Hossain said the trial should take as much time as it needed for the sake of transparency.
Fifty-seven army officers and 17 others were killed as the members of the border security force staged a mutiny and carnage in Pilkhana on February 25-26, 2009.
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