BDR Carnage Case
Jawans met Sheikh Selim 12 days before mutiny
Twelve days before the two-day 2009 Pilkhana mutiny, some BDR jawans went to Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim's Banani residence in the capital to press home their demands.
Stating this while being cross-examined by the defence in BDR carnage case at Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court in the capital's Bakshibazar yesterday, Selim said he had asked them to place the demands in written form.
The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans, however, did not return, he said.
Selim said he had also suggested the jawans to meet the home minister as the defunct BDR, now Border Guard Bangladesh, was under the ministry.
On why he wanted a written copy knowing that the issue was the ministry's concern, Selim said, “Yes, I knew it (BDR) was under the home ministry and therefore told them to go there.”
He said the jawans, arriving around 8:00pm, introduced themselves as deputy assistant directors (DAD) Habib and Jalil and sepoys Selim, Moyeen, Tarek and Ayub.
Later, he recognised some of them among the delegation which went to the prime minister's office at Jamuna for negotiations on February 25, the mutiny's first day, he added.
However, he said now he would not be able to identify DAD Jalil and sepoy Ayub.
Their demands included resolving problems over rationing, transport, deployment in United Nations missions and admitting children of jawans in Pilkhana's school and colleges, he said.
Replying to another question, Selim said he had not informed his senior party leaders or the local lawmaker of Dhaka-12 constituency, where Pilkhana is situated, about the visit.
“Everyday I have to listen to the demands of a number of visitors and at that time I did not realise that the BDR jawans would later revolt,” he said.
A total of 73 people, including 57 army officers, were killed during the mutiny.
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