PM warned mutineers of military action
Former air chief tells court on BDR carnage
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had warned a 12 to 14 member delegation of BDR mutineers of military action if they did not surrender and release the officers and their families.
Her warning had come at a meeting with the delegation at her official residence Jamuna around 4:00pm, seven hours after the two-day mutiny broke out on February 25, 2009 at the BDR Headquarters in Pilkhana.
Vice Marshal Shah Mohammad Ziaur Rahman, the then chief of air staff, made this deposition yesterday before the special court dealing with the BDR carnage case.
Ziaur was the second among the then three armed forces chiefs to depose before the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court set up temporarily at Bakshibazar in the capital. The navy chief gave his deposition on July 16.
Ziaur said the PM's Defence Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique called him over phone around 9:30am and informed him about the mutiny.
Tariq asked him to send helicopters to get a bird's eye view of Pilkhana and afterwards another call from the Prime Minister's Office asked to drop leaflets from helicopters urging the mutineers to surrender.
Ziaur said he sent two helicopters over three periods and a bullet hit the fuel tank of one helicopter during the second round.
He went to Jamuna after 12:00pm where the PM wanted to know from the three defence chiefs what was happening inside Pilkhana and their opinions on what should be done.
They opined that negotiation would be the right choice. However, they were also open to military action if the negotiations had failed.
“The PM asked us to get prepared to tackle any kind of untoward situation,” added Ziaur.
The delegation arrived around 3:45pm. When the PM asked about the officers at Pilkhana, the delegation informed that they were all right, said Ziaur.
“Pointing at us the PM told them (rebels) that if they did not surrender the forces would go for action,” Ziaur added.
The delegation demanded that the PM declares a general amnesty and have it passed in parliament, he said.
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