The nation recalled on Tuesday the horrific carnage at Peelkhana BDR headquarters in the capital where 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed on this day in 2009.
Relatives of the martyrs, government high-ups, and Border Guard Bangladesh and army officials paid tributes to the martyrs by placing wreaths at their graves at Banani Graveyard in the city.The representatives of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan, the chiefs of the three services, senior secretary to the Home Ministry and the BGB Director General placed wreaths at the graves in the morning.
Special prayers were also offered seeking divine blessings for the peace of the departed souls in mosques in all regions, sectors, institutions and units of BGB and at its BOPs.
Different social and political organisations, including Awami League, also observed the 5th anniversary of the Peelkhana tragedy with elaborate programmes.
Meanwhile, another doa and milad mahfil will be held at Fazlur Rahman Khandaker Auditorium at Peelkhana BGB headquarters at 4:30 pm on Wednesday.
Besides, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina distributed cheques of financial assistance among the dependants of army officers, killed brutally during the carnage, at a simple ceremony at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
On February 25 in 2009, hundreds of Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men rose up in armed revolt at Darbar Hall during the three-day “BDR Week” inside the Peelkhana headquarters and killed 74 people, including 57 deputed army officers.
The mutiny finally ended the next day (February 26) with the surrender of the firearms and grenades through negotiation between the government and the BDR rebels.
After the mutiny, BDR was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and 58 cases were filed — one for serious crimes, including murder and looting, and the rest for mutiny.
Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms and 271 others acquitted in the country’s largest-ever killing case.
On the other hand, a total of 5,926 BDR personnel were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from four months to seven years in the 57 mutiny cases. – UNB
