We Mourn – Let Saturday be a National Mourning Day
UPDATE: Announcement: National Mourning Saturday and Sunday.
source bdnews24.com
We mourn the tragic loss and demand justice for the victims. We also hope and appeal to the government to declare Saturday, February 28th to be a national mourning and reconcilliation day. The list below is not comprehensive. We will update as we get more information.
- Brig Gen Abdul Bari, identified by brother-in-law Nero and ex-colleague Brig (retd) Saber Ahmed.
- Tariq Aziz
- Col Abu Musa Ayub Kaiser Ahmed, identified by wife Nusrat Jahan and brother-in-law Zia.
- Hridoy Mia
- Col Zahid Hossain, identified by nephew Baktia Sumon.
- Captain Mazharul Haider, identified by brother Mahbul Haider.
- Amjad Ali
- Col Anisuzzaman, identified by relative Dr Atiur Rahman.
- Kasem Majumdar
- One body remained unidentified, said Kamrangirchar OC Khan.
- Col Mujibul Huq, who commanded the Dhaka Sector and headed the emergency government’s Operation Daal-Bhat, was killed at the early stage of the mutiny.
- The body of Lt Col Enayet, commander of 36 Battalion, was found alongside Huq’s.
Tags: BDR mutiny
Please aslo create another thread with list of officers came out alive from pilkhana.
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Also dead, Col Gulzar who played a major role in the anti-JMB operations.
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This is very tragic. My most sincere condolences for our members of the army and their families who have suffered such terrible loss.
In the wake of this we have to ensure two things. Regardless of amnesty for the mutiny we have to ensure that investigation is done for each specific murder. A murder is a murder. It shouldn’t result in a witch-hunt but the specific perpetrators of specific killings have to be brought to justice according to the law.
We also have to ensure that this whole episode is not used as an excuse to greatly increase the influence of the security establishment over national civilian policymaking. So far it has been great to see that the political leadership quickly came forward to negotiate skillfully and that our military services patiently allowed that to happen. Otherwise casualties would have been far greater.
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I earnestly demand and hope that the govt declares a national day of mourning for the dead and wounded.
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Fellow bloggers,
Harrowing stories of brutality are coming out as the survivors begin to speak out. Some of you may think I came out a little strongly in condemning the mutineers, but I stand by what I have been saying. I have known many of these officers in the course of my professional work – they were mostly fine officers and fine men. They did not deserve to die in this way. And the idea that allegations of corruption against certain individuals somehow explains away the death of all these officers was offensive in the extreme to me. It is a tragic loss for the nation.
Among the dead – Col Gulzar, the talented officer who used to be in charge of RAB intelligence in the dark days of JMB attacks. Col. Gulzar played a crucial role in crushing the militancy and capturing Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla bhai.
There are decorated officers among these men, soldiers who have upheld the honour of the nation at home and abroad. They did not deserve be die in such a brutal way. I think I speak for all of my fellow bloggers when I mourn their loss and demand punishment of their killers.
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Captain Mazhar got married last year.
His father is not alive.
He completed training in Tucson, Arizona last year.
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Let’s keep all our differences aside and mourn for dead. Could it be a “National Mourning and Reconciliation” day?
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Police IGP was all night and the morning in and around the BDR HQ. Now I realized he also had a personal loss. What an unfortunate incident?
Just read this from the Daily Star: (also this one from the Ittefaq: http://www.ittefaq.com/content/2009/02/27/news0409.htm)
Captain Majharul Hayder, who got married only in December last year, served as a staff officer to the director general (DG) of BDR.
His wife Nushrat Nur Badhon, daughter of the present Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad, was rescued from the BDR headquarters at Pilkhana late on Wednesday night.
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The BDR officers responsible for this massacre should be covered with garland of shame, and paraded peacefully in city streets, for everyone to see. So that such mayhem and mindless action are never repeated again in any corner of the nation, these offenders should be given exemplary symbols of disgrace.
Last week students of Titumir college Dhaka vandalized 200 vehicles, just because of a RUMOUR, that a student was injured. These incidents happen almost daily in Bangladesh. It has almost become a national “pride” that groups run amock into delirious mayhem, just because of apparently minor grievances. Our folks must be taught in colleges, that vandalism and mayhem are worse crimes than the grievances they suffer, and is not the civilized path.
In order to prevent repetition of such mental LUNACY, we must be careful not to glorify mutinies, mayhem and massacres, but discolor those offenders with severe SHAME.
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i guess, this is also a class struggle where army represents the privileged and BDR represents the general mass.i am no way supporting the killing but i cannot stop thinking about the anger and hatred the army actually grown among the general people in last few years. think about operation clean heart, think about all the cross fires by RAB (led by an army officer), arresting and harassing general people taking them to unknown places to torture anyway they want.they were pointing fingers to everyone for being corrupt and now they are being accused for not even sparing the so called ‘daal bhaat kormoshuchi’.we do not even know the names and numbers of the people they have tortured, killed and do whatever.we know the names of the top leaders and their own officials they killed during earlier coups but the whole nation could not ever unanimously agree they were plain and simple murder and could not punish those army officers yet.i guess, they just needed a reality check to know that each and everyone around are not afraid of them.some can stand up and speak their minds.so we won’t have to see ‘amar dorbare kotha bole etto boro beaddop’mentality anymore.very unfortunately, it involved a lot of killing and i am sure many of them were really brave, honest , well behaved army officer.but when army keeps on justifying taking people to the ‘blackhole’ to torture, kill and gets all the comfort and advantages the poor country can offer then they cannot expect their armed subordinates , i. e. BDR, whom they treat as their servents will keep all their grievences inside and will look for a peaceful solution.i know, i am in a way trying to justify this murder which is actually killing my soul and i am feeling sick even thinking that. but belive me , i am not the only person in Bangladesh who think BDR mutineers have done something on our behalf, which is giving army a lesson.many of us actually lost someone we personally know or are related with in BDR quarters and its highly unlikely we will know any mutineers as the BDR soldiers’ educational qualification is only till 8th grade and they are generally from poor, unknown families!!so why should we care to know why they felt the need to risk their lives!!
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Though we are here with a heavy heart today, let’s keep an eye on the future so that our nation comes out stronger from this unfortunate situation. I would like to add few things with Phases that Sensible proposed in the “Day After”.
First secure our boarder. We can not afford a messy situation there. Do whatever it takes to secure the commanding officers on the field without harming the trust between his/her and the jawans.
Let’s find out how the Government did in last 48 hours. I am generally very proud of the success of our political leadership. Two more things would have elevated the civil governance even to a higher standard. First, I wish Hon’ble PM consulted or kept the Opposition Leader in the loop all the time. From the parliament debate proceedings it sounds like they were kept in the dark. Second, the surrender of mutineers should be to the Police, while army standing by in the background, only if deadly force is needed.
Let’s start thinking how to organize the proud BDR once again, in short term and in long term. I am sure army strategists learned from the Iraq debacle, contributed by the disbandment of the whole republican army. Our army leadership must have some experience from November’ 75. I would question army’s lesson learned though. After the events of 75, how come the armory of any headquarters are not more secured and immunized to rebellion? Armed forces have to find out a way of doing that to deter the whim of few.
Last and most importantly, while we figure out the recourse let’s NOT engage to any inhuman torture of the suspects. Let’s swallow our swagger, tears, and anger. Though our slain soldiers were not offered any chance, let’s declare our ultimate victory by offering the human treatments to the suspects. They will face their fate by the law of the land including whatever they were offered by the amnesty.
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The crisis was overcome as a result of very professional role played by the army. The threat of all out army intervention convinced the BDR to give up arms. S. Hasina’s (unfortunate) promise of blanket “amnesty” also helped.
If the armed forces declined to back the civilian government, such speedy resolution would not have been possible.
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M.H. “I know, i am in a way trying to justify this murder which is actually killing my soul and i am feeling sick even thinking that.”
You should be feeling sick. How shameless!
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This mutiny brings to the fore deep problems within BD society and culture at the present time:
No grievance, no matter how legitimate, gets attention of authorities unless aggrieved people resort to violence and destruction. On the other hand, no matter how unfair demands may be, aggrieved parties feel that violence will get them what they want.
We have degenerated into a culture where burning of random cars following an accident, random killings and destruction of property to advance a political cause, mutiny in the armed forces are all considered legitimate tools by the aggrieved. There is no societal outrage unless it touches our near and dear ones.
Beyond punishing some of the involved Jawans of BDR, which many in the privileged class will call for, our politicians are incapable of arresting this destructive trend since they themselves have contributed to this culture in the name of “brihottoro shartho”.
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In solemn tribute to those who lost their lives. There was no honour for those that took your lives. May you forever rest in peace.
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Asif Bhai and dear learned ADmin of UV, This post is only for you. A writing from an army officer. Please read it. Please read it, I beg you. I have confidence in your judgment and if you believe – it is worth posting, do the justice.
ফিনিক্স ভবণ ধ্বসে পড়ল, গার্মেন্টসে আগুন লাগলো, লোকজন পানির অভাবে বিদ্রোহ করল, সিডর হল ,বন্যা হল, ভোটার লিস্ট হলো ……রাত নেই, দিন নেই, ঘুম নেই, নিজের পকেট থেকে মোবাইল বিল দিয়ে কাজ করেছি। আমি অফিসার, ৫০০/১০০ টাকা মোবাইল বিল চাওয়া আমার জন্য লজ্জার ব্যাপার। মাস শেষে ব্যাঙ্কে ওডি লেগেই আছে, বাবার নীরব অভিযোগ, ভাই বোনের অভিযোগ, আর্মি অফিসার অথচ ফ্যামিলিকে কোন সাপোর্ট দিতে পারে না। বুঝিয়েছি, সবাই মেনেও নিয়েছে। শুধু বলেছে, সম্মানের সাথে চাকরি কর, টাকা পয়সাই সব কিছু না।
কিন্তু আজকে যখন বাড়ি থেকে ফোন পেলাম…সবার একটাই কথা, বাবা সাবধানে থাকিস, তোর চাকরির দরকার নাই। আমরা তোকে হারাতে চাই না। কয়দিন পর যে বেওয়ারিশ লাশ হয়ে তোকেও ফেলে রাখবে না তার তো কোন নিশ্চয়তা নেই। নিরব হয়ে থাকলাম, ভালো লাগছে না বলে ফোন টা রেখে দিলাম।
মেজর মোশারফ স্যার এর চেহারাটা চোখের সামনে ভাসতে লাগলো, কিছুদিন আগেই কুয়েত থেকে ঢাকায় গিয়েছেন। আর তারেক স্যারকে, পাঠানো গতকাল এর লাস্ট এসএমএস…my 13 years service went in vain bro, they r taking me in the gun pit…….pl pray for my family…………
মাজহার ভাই এর চেহারাটা ,লাস্ট রি-ইউনিওয়নে দেখা হায়দার ভাই এর চেহারাটা চোখের সামনে ভাসছে। যাকে দেখে আমি আক্ষেপ করতাম আর ইর্ষা ছিল, আমাকে কেন আল্লাহ হায়দার ভাই এর মত লম্বা বানায় নাই। তাইলেইতো উনার লং-জাম্পের রেকর্ডটা আমি ভাংতে পারতাম। এমন কোন খেলা নেই যেইটা ভাল খেলতেন না, মাজহার ভাই ,হায়দার ভাই, দুজনেই।
প্রতিটি মিডিয়াতে শুধু জওয়ানদের বিজয় গাথা আর টক-শো’তে আর্মির গোষ্ঠী উদ্ধারের সাথে সাথে কফির গরম চুমুকে দেশ যেনো উৎসবে মাতোয়ারা। আর আমরা সবাই মিলে টিভি সেটের সামনে প্রশ্ন করছি…১৬৮ জন অফিসার এর কি হলো, কেউ কেন তাদের লাশগুলোকে খুজে বের করার কোন কথা বলছে না? সবার কথা একটাই আমাদের জনগনের টাকায় পোষা আর্মি, এইটা দু;খজনক, এর বেশি কিছু না। তাদের ফ্যামিলির কি খবর? তাদের লাশগুলোর কি হলো? কারো কোন ভ্রুক্ষেপ নেই, করবে কেন?আমরা তো জনগনের দাস। মানুষ না, আমরা আর্মি, আমদের টাকাতো raw, cia, isr দেয়না, কাজেই আমাদেরকে যে যখন চাইবে নিজের কাজে টিস্যু পেপার এর মত যতেচ্ছ ব্যবহার করবে তারপর ছুড়ে ফেলদিবে যত্র তত্র।
ভুক্তভোগী আমদের বাবা, মা, আমদের সন্তান, বউ………তাতে কি আসে যায়?
গত দুই দিনে মিডিয়াতে গরম কফির চুমুকের সাথে তুমুল আড্ডা জমে ঊঠেছে। অপারেশন ডাল ভাত এর কাহিনী, তত্বাবধায়ক সরকারের কাহিনী কত কি! কেউ বলছে না ১৬৮ জন অফিসারকে তাদের পরিবারগুলাকে কিভাবে উদ্ধার করা যায়? লাবলু ভাই, শওকত ভাই- আপনাদের মাধ্যমে প্রশ্ন … আপনারা মিডিয়ার লোকেরা না এত মানবাধিকার আর দেশ প্রেমের কথা বলেন? আমরা কি এর বাইরে? মানলাম আমরা বাইরে? কিন্তু আমাদের পরিবারগুলোও কি বাইরে? সাংবাদিক গোলাম মোর্তজা থেকে শুরু করে সবার একই বয়ান………প্রধানমন্ত্রী’র কথা মত বিডিআর এর লোকজন আত্মসমঅর্পন করেছেন। কিন্তু সেনাবাহিনীর অবস্থান আর বিডিআর সদস্যদের কি হবে এই নিয়ে সবাই বেশ উৎসুক, কিন্তু ১৬৮ জনের লাশ কোথায়, তাদের পরিবারের কি হলো এ-নিয়ে কেউ একবারও বলে নি। অদ্ভুত এই জাতি! অকৃতজ্ঞ এই জাতি। আর তাই ৭১ এর যুদ্ধ অপরাধী থেকে শুরু করে ৭৫ এবং অদ্যাবধি ঘটে যাওয়া কোন অপরাধের কোন বিচার হয়নি আজো এবং কোন দিনও হবে না।
আমরাতো আর্মি। কসম খেয়েছি জল, স্থল অন্তরীক্ষে যেখানে যাইবার আদেশ হইবে সেইখানে যাইতে বাধ্য থাকিব……তাই আমাদেরকে দিয়ে হাল চাষ,গবাদি পালন, সবজি চাষ, ত্রাণ বিতরণ , দেশকে সঙ্ঘাত আর হাত থেকে রক্ষা করা, দোকানদারি করা, ট্রাফিক নিয়ন্ত্রন, পানি বিতরণ, উদ্ধার অভিযান, বন্যা, খরা, সিডর আরও কত কি করতে হবে……তারপরো বলবেন আপনারা……আর্মি জনগনের টাকায় ফুলে ফেপে উঠছে। ওরা অমানুষ।
আসলেই আমরা অমানুষ নইলে আমাদেরকে যা বলবে তাই করব কেন? আর বিনিময়ে শুধু গালি, লাথি আর মৃত্যু…
কিন্তু আমার কথা হলো আপনারা সব সময় গোয়েন্দা সংস্থাকে জড়িয়ে আমাদের সবাইকে অপবাদ দেন। আমাদেরকে কি আপনারাই নিয়ে যাননা? আপনারাই কি সরকার বদলের সাথে সাথে আমাদের চাকরিতে রদবদল করেন না, আর আমাদের সিনিয়রদের প্রোমোশন এর আর জুজুর ভয় দেখিয়ে আপনারাই তথা আমলা বুদ্ধিজীবিরাইতো নিয়ন্ত্রন করেন? ১/১১ এর মত পরিস্থিতি কি শুধু আর্মির একক প্রচেষ্টায় হয়েছে? raw,CIA er টাকায় পালিত সাংবাদিক বুদ্ধিজীবি, পত্রিকার সম্পাদক, বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষক অর্থনিতিবিদ এদের কি ভুমিকা ছিলনা? এইটা একটা বাচ্চা কিংবা অবোধ শিশুও বুঝবে। আমরা তো অনেক অশিক্ষিত। তাই আমাদেরকে দিয়ে যা খুশি করিয়ে নেন আপনারা। কিন্তু শেষতক আমাদেরকেই গালি শুনতে হয়।
এইটা সত্য যে আমাদের মধ্য থেকে হাতে গোনা কিছু মানুষের অনেক ফায়দা হয়। আর ভুক্তভোগী আমাদের মত সাধারণরা যারা সেলফ মোটিভেটেড হয়ে কলুর বলদের মত খেটে যাই?
আজ দুদিন ধরে শুধু একটাই আলোচনা অপারেশন ডাল-ভাত আর আর্মি অফিসারদের দূর্নীতি। বিডি আর কি কোনভাবে আর্মির নিন্ত্রনাধীন? ওখানে অফিসাররা শুধু পোস্টেড হয়। আর স্বারাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রনালয়ের আদেশ নির্দেশ কিংবা খাদ্য মন্ত্রনালয়ের নিয়ন্ত্রন ছাড়া কি অপারেশন ডাল ভাত হয়েছে? সেখানে যদি দূর্নীতি হয়ে থাকে তার দায়ভার এককভাবে আর্মি অফিসারদের ঘাড়ে কেন বর্তাবে? আর দূর্নীতি হয়ে থাকলে তার মূল্য কি ১৬৮ জন অফিসার এর জীবন আর তদের পরিবারের বিনিময়ে পরিশোধ করতে হবে ?
কয়দিন আগে বিভিন্ন বুদ্ধিজীবিদের হুমকি আর প্রতিশোধ স্পৃহার বাস্তব প্রতিফলন দেখলাম। অনেকেই গত কদিন ধরে টক শোতে আর্মি অফিসারদের দেখে নিবে বলে যে হুমকি দিয়ছিল তার ভালই প্রতিফলন দেখিয়েছেন।
যদি অধিকার বঞ্ছিত আর অবিচারের ফসল হিসেবে বুদ্ধিজীবিরা এইটাকে বলে আর কমান্ড এর ব্যর্থতা বলে চালিয়ে দেন…আমার কোন ক্ষতি নেই। দেশ ও জাতিকে হয়ত অদূর ভবিষ্যতে এরকম আরো অনেক কিছু দেখতে হবে। আপনারা বিডিআর জওয়ানদের যেই স্তুতিকীর্তন গাইলেন……তা জেনেশুনেই সবাই গেয়েছেন। কেননা বুদ্ধিজীবি মহলের এতেই লাভ।
২০০১ সালে ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে ছাত্রী হলে বর্বর হামলা হলে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষকদের মনে এতটুকু আচর কাটে না, বামদলের কর্মীদের মহিলা কর্মীর পেটে গুন্ডা ক্যাডারদের লাথিতে যখন মুখ দিয়ে রক্ত আসে তখন বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় এর শিক্ষকরা কিছু বলেন না, আর একটা সাধারণ কথা কাটাকাটি থেকে অনেক কিছুর জন্ম দেন আমাদের শিক্ষকরা, বুদ্ধিজিবিরা, আর চাকরি খোয়া যায় একজন সাধারন সৈনিক এর যার রোজগারে দশজন মানুশ বাঁচতো। কি সুন্দর আর বিচিত্র আমাদের দেশ প্রেম?একটু আগে টিভি চ্যানেল এ দেখলাম- প্রধানমন্ত্রী কেন সাধারন ক্ষমা ঘোষনা করার পর বিডিআর জওয়ানদের গ্রেফতার করছে পুলিশ, তাদের কেন হাত বাধা হচ্ছে এইসব……।অনেক মানবতার কথা? কিন্তু ১৩৭ জন এখনো লাশ হয়ে কোথায় পড়ে আছে কেউ একটি বারও বলছে না। কি চমৎকার আমাদের জাতির বিবেক, কি সুন্দর আমাদের মানবতা, এত কিছুর পরও আপনাদের নির্দেশেই সেনাবাহিনী মোতায়েন করা হয়, আর আমরা ধৈর্য ধরে আমাদের আমদের সহকর্মীদের পচতে গলতে দেখি। নিরব হয়ে দাঁড়িয়ে থাকি।
আমরা যে আপনাদের খেলার গুটি, আমাদেরকে নিয়ে সবাই বাঘবন্দি খেলে। এই আমরাই সিডর এ যখন খেয়ে না খেয়ে উদ্ধার অভিযান চালিয়ে যাবার পরেও আপনারা অনেক মিডিয়তে সমালোচনা করেন কেন এই করা হচ্ছে না কেন সেই করা হচ্ছে না!! সেই আমরাই আমাদের সহকর্মীদের লাশ উদ্ধার করতে পারি না, এই আমরাই ntv ভবনে ছুটে যাই, আপনাদের উদ্ধার করতে mask ছাড়াই suffocated room e নিজের জীবনের কথা ভুলে যাই, উদ্ধার করি আপনাদের। আর আজ এই টিভি চ্যানেলে বসে সাংবাদিক বুদ্ধিজীবি বলেন……এত সুন্দর করে সব কিছু নিয়ন্ত্রন করা হচ্ছে দেখে আমারতো সেলিব্রেট করতে ইচ্ছে করছে। আপনারা আমাদের লাশ নিয়ে মহা উৎসবে মেতে উঠুন,হোলি খেলা খেলুন। আমাদের যে এটাই প্রাপ্য।
এই দেশ নিয়ে আপনারা যতই কথার ফুলঝুড়ি ছড়িয়ে বলেননা কেন, আমাদের ভবিষ্যত এই, ভবিষ্যত সেই, কিন্তু আমি একজন অর্ধশিক্ষিত মানুষ হিসেবে বলে দিতে পারি-অন্ধকার।
সেই অন্ধকারের একদিন সবাইকে তলিয়ে যেতে হবে।
পুনশ্চঃ
লাবলু ভাই আর শওকত ভাই, প্লিজ ভুল বুঝবেননা, আপনাদের মাধ্যমে আমি শুধু আমাদের বিবেকবান লোকজনের কাছে কিছু প্রশ্ন করেছি। আমি জানি বড় ভাই হিসেবে আপনারা এই কথাগুলো পৌছে দিবেন তাদের কাছে। আমি জানি না এই লেখার জন্য আমার রুটি রোজগারের উপর মানে পেটে কোন লাথি পরবে কিনা? আর যারা যুক্তি দেন যে জাতিসঙ্ঘ মিশনে আমরা নাকি ডলার গুনি তাই কাজ করি, তাদের উদ্দ্যশ্যে বলছি শিলাজিতের স্বাধীনতা গানটা
তুমি ভাই বুঝবে কি হায়
ফুর ফুরে দিন কেটে যায়
বুঝাচ্ছ স্বাধীনতার মানে?
যে মানুষ দিনে রাতে
বুলেটে যে বুক পাতে
সেই বুঝেছে স্বাধীনতার মানে।
স্লিম জিমে ফেলে আসি ঘাম
ফরেন জিন্স কিনতে দিই দাম
স্বাধীন থাকা তোমার কাজের রুটিন।
[Reply]
Karim, thank you for this eye-opening post. For once, please lets forgo all the bickering and mourn for all the slain officers of the army. Whatever might have happened on Wednesday morning, we need to realize that each of these officers have served the military and the nation relentlessly for years. Gen Shakil himself had served brilliantly for over 30 years. Please lets not demonize these officers – their departed souls deserves the utmost respect from all of us.
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I support the proposal of a day of mourning. This is like 14th of December 1971 when nations brilliant souls were abducted and brutally killed. Its a loss of the nation. Let us try to find those who are missing till now. I pray that they are safe somewhere.
Those who were killed, my prayer goes to their departed souls. May their family gather strength and blessed by God to withstand such loss.
And let us take our stands to abolish all immunities and bring the murderers to justice in due process. We need to dig deep to find out the truth what was the real motive. And make sure this does not happen again.
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karim, apnar Lehkha porar por, ami onek khon bhablam ami kemney ekta reply dibo. Shudhu ami apnake amar deepest condolonce ar sympathy ditey chai, apnake, apnar poribarke ebong jara ei traggic event e tader jibon hariyeche.
This was truely appalling what the BDR have done. Living abroad you only get to hear select news and I am shocked to hear that 160 officers of the Bangladesh army and their families are yet to be accounted for. I am also shocked to hear how BDR Jawans brutally murdered any of their fellow jawans and their families who oppposed this and how they have also killed the familiy members of all the officers. IF the officers gave them grief what did the poor family do? Did they ask the officers to give the jawans grief? I dont know how the general amnesty works, but all those BDR responsible for killing innocent people need to be tried, forget the amnesty for them.
Yes the BDR in relation to the army are living in much worse conditions, but does this give them the right to kill? It is appalling. I also wish to know the fate of the 160 officers. Please bloggers give us some news of them.
The murderers need to be brought to justice, but rarely does anyone ever get brought to justice in our country. Things will go on, they will be the same, nothing has changed except we will have a new footnote in the history of our country. People will forget about this in the years to come and those with the garlands of shame on their heads will live on with their daily lives not giving a second thought about the lives they have wasted.
Sad to see the country like this, maybe one day it will get better. One can always hope.
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I am also appalled to read many of the comments here by people saying the BDR did us (the general populace) a favour by giving the army what they deserve. What do the army deserve and what did all these officers who lost their life deserve? One of the colonels is the Ex-Leader of RAB responsible for bringing down JMB, did he deserve this?
The Bangladesh army is 250000 strong out of which it only has about 5000 officers out of which only a handful are corrupt. To blame the entire army is to tarnish the reputation of all the soldiers who work hard for this country and will be putting their lives on the line for us and during emergencies are also the first port of call. I dont think the 250000 sepoys are corrupt as most of them have no access to activities which would give them an illegal footing, so the media blaming a corrupt army and people making a mockery of our army should be ashamed.
I believe the government did very well to restore the situation and the effort they put in was very good. But how will the rift this created between two heavy arms bearing factions in our country be solved?
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137 officers are still unaccounted for.
Hasina’s general amnesty would at best save them from being disciplined for causing mass panic or disobedience, i.e., breaking chain of command and picking up arms from the armory without authority – NOTHING beyond that.
There can NOT be any pardon for:
murdering officers.
murdering the spouses and children of the officers.
burning the army’s vehicles.
looting the officer’s houses.
setting fire in the officer’s houses.
holding people hostage.
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Please do not try to explain these wanton killings as a “class struggle”. Differences in education and circumstance mean there will always be some grievances. But those must be vented in a civilised way. That’s what sets us apart from animals. A hundred officers murdered and dumped in sewers, women and chuldren killed. This is simply barbaric.
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Note from a freind of Captain Mazhar:
“..the ADC of the BDR dj’s body was found today in haribag, his face was completely mutilated, in order to avoid identification. He tried to save the DJ n that’s why he was killed right away…
MY frnd was man of honor and integrity. He tried to do his job till the end of his last breath.”
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The BDR soldiers, nay that is too noble a word to be used to describe these inhuman brutes have shown their utter contempt for the law of the land by violating every word of their oath.
By killing the innocent officers, and in some cases their families, by conducting mayhem they have shown below a shadow of doubt that each of them who is responsible must pay the ultimate price for their transgressions. No army can allow such disorderly conduct and the BD Army is no exception. The mood in the cantonments is explosive and if the political leadership is not careful, we might see Moeen at the helm. And this time, there won’t be a civilian front.
Granted the BDR soldiers have valid grievances but why not ask the government who actually sets up salaries and benefits. There are no government officials in BD who are happy with their salaries, does it mean that they should go about destroying lives and property.
No amnesty should be awarded to the killers, murderers, looters and their abettors. In the spirit of Ziaur Rahman’s court martials there should be mass trials and I would say a significant portion of the BDR folks in the Pilkhana compound should be send on a quick mission to join their innocent victims in their eternal journey. Only these folks should be in the compartment called “hell”
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Thanks karim for the post… all our prayers are for them. My cousin Lt Col Manzur Elahi, Adjudent DG, and ex-Sector Commander of Srimongol, is still unaccounted for . His wife and children came out yesterday as I found out from Prothom Alo picture. If anyone finds out his status, please post it.
I just want to make few points:
Many of you know, we have lost 55 defense officers in ‘71 liberation , today we have lost many more than that. Lets not get overdosed with corrupt army officers slogans and get into 1/11 revenge.. I’m sure there are some corrupt officers but surely not all. Throughout the years, these officers and soldiers of Army and BDR have given more to the country that we have done, especially those who are living abroad.
These BDR soldiers were given a general amnesty… is it a blanket amnesty? even for those who killed the officers? if so, why do we make all the fuss about ‘71 war crime if they get away with murder? I hope that this government will have the strength to deal with it stearnly.
What to do with BDR now? It is already contaminated with mutinous soldier. Will it go through extreme makeover or it will as if nothing happened until the next happening?
These are very questions govt must figured out. This is very profound because any politicization in dealing with mess will not be good for ruling government.
[Reply]
Everybody must avoid generalisation. It is the mistake we all commit. We must see each other’s face on the mirror and do a soul-searching.
We will go nowhere if we continue to point finger at each other. It only demonstrates how divided we are and we overlook that all are the citizens of Bangladesh and love the country- whether he is an officer or a jawan. Seeing everything from one’s own position will not produce anything other than creating more dissensions among us. None is responsible alone. It is the price we are all paying now for the mistakes we committed, have committed and are still committing.
This is hightime we must reflect on the problem which lies with the state itself and come up with solution. We must not forget revenge begets revenge and killing begets killing.
We must morn for all who died in the horrifying event and pray for them.
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Please avoid ‘BLAME-GAME’.
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I recall the some BDR jawans on TV claiming they were revolutionaries. They are nothing so noble. They have disgraced their uniforms and engaged in shameful acts. I hope they will now face their moment of truth. Let justice be done.
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the guard of the DG’s house has just been arrested with lots of jewellery etc, he might be able to give loads of valuable information.
source – atn
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There will be investigations. General amnesty won’t be applicable to those involved in the killing – Hasina said.
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Dear Karim,
http://unheardvoice.net/blog/2009/02/26/the-list-of-the-dead/#comment-15814
Thank you so much for the piece. My heart goes out to you. We are all dumbfounded. I have thought about this note all night and have prepared something. This deserves a longer response and touches at the heart of the civil-military discourse that needs to be had.
I will post this note and the subsequent response by Sunday once we are all calm.
In the meantime, my condolences and sympathies. We are all hurting and mourning. As you have already perhaps heard that national mourning and reconciliation days have been announced. Let us all grieve and then try to make sense of this madness and find answers.
Asif
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I used to hate Pakistanis. I don’t any more.
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I hope this chapter will wake up our national awareness on why such Rampage are wrong.
Our colleges and unis allow students to rampage on a regular basis, giving them the license of ‘dissent’. That is wrong, as WRONG as this meaningless tragedy.
We all have grievances, just as house workers, drivers, darowans and garment workers also have grievances. But we cannot just go crazy and blow up the whole place, destroying everything on the way, because of grievances.
I hope our lawmakers, social leaders and media LEARN a lesson from this tragedy, why going berserk on the public is a crime. And more importantly, how to resolve grievances peacefully and lawfully.
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Gazi, unfortunately we may have to look deep into the psyche of our nation, into our very souls, to find answers. The brutality of this cannot be explained by mere discontent over things such as pay. This tragic episode clearly shows the dangerous power of mob violence. It is the same mentality that makes garments workers run amock. It is the same malaise that leads agitating students to vandalise cars of people who are in no way involved. This idea that you are allowed to air your grievances through violent means must be opposed at all cost.
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Investigations should be neutral. Investigators need to find out the real picture of the incident. We want to know why the soldiers had killed the officers. Was there any incidence which provoked them to kill all the officers? Is it a fact that an officer opened fire at first?
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My father was a career officer, he had the somewhat bizarre distinction of being a professional soldier in three professional armies (starting with Slim’s Burma Corps, then Pakistan, followed by Bangladesh).
During the Zia years, he was a presiding officer for court’s marshal after the “sepoy biplob”. Ironically, he’d also been the defending counsel for an officer being cashiered for a similar offense. (Note: I don’t know if the rules have changed, but these roles were carried out by serving officers in “teeth” regiments). In all cases, his view was always the same, rebellious soldiers or officers — if proven guilty — can only have one sentence: death.
I don’t think he was particularly bloodthirsty, I think it was more the view of a professional soldier about how tenuous a hold the authority of command is. It resides almost completely on personal probity and leadership, and it is a bloody dangerous game when you consider the people being led have the heavy weapons (while in his case, it was almost always only a plain swagger stick. Yes, there is a good reason for that name). Once that hold breaks, well all hell does break loose. You have angry young men trained to deal with weapons without any leadership, unit cohesion, or direction. A mob on steroids.
The British Army had a very good reason for not letting any rebellious soldier (or, in the rare case, officer) survive a mutiny. But to avoid all that in the first place (it’s bloody expensive creating and maintaining professional soldiers, after all), they had (and still have) systems in place to help relieve the pressure before it got to the boiling point. Things like:
Non-coms with direct access up the chain of command (even today, US and British CO’s won’t make a move on enlisted men issues without consulting the CSM or RSM).
Periodic durbars where the enlisted men can raise any issue with impunity.
An officer class (no, there is nothing classless about any Army) that is scrupulously fair, honest, balanced, forgiving of dissent but absolutely bloody ruthless about insubordination.
Discipline and fairness without rigidity.
The list goes on.
Whatever the motivations and instigation in this particular case, all those things clearly and very disastrously broke down. Maybe that’s why there is another brutal calculus of command: no officer who has lost authority or suffered a mutiny was ever allowed to keep his commission. There is a reason why it’s called “falling on your own sword.”
A personal postscript: in the mid 1970’s the Artillery unit in Comilla was on the point of rebellion because their Major (actually his wife) had allegedly been insulted in Dhaka. The Brigade Commander and the Station Staff Officer (the senior-most
Gunner) essentially called out the men on parade and stared them down. No weapons, no tanks, just swagger sticks and personal authority. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.
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Well, the facts are now coming out and while there could be arguments about small things (which we had over the past couple of days), there can be no argument about the facts on the ground – the bodies that are being recovered. It is clear that scores, perhaps hundreds were killed, most, not in the heat of battle but in cold, calculated murder. That such murder was committed by those sworn to order and discipline makes it all the more abhorrent.
For the moment, we and the nation mourns. And we pray for those who died — and those who live as well.
But prayers and mourning alone will not heal the wounds. After the mourning and after the prayers, there must be accountability. There must be consequences and the consequences must be commensurate with the culpability. And it is clear that there is a lot of culpability. We have time now, to act with cool heads. The crisis has ended, not the least for the sensible approach of the government. I applaud the cool heads and urge them to now conduct an exemplary investigation. Actions have consequences and justice can be slow but it must be sure and inevitable.
I hope and pray that we have a strong enough democracy to see everything through to its rightful conclusion. Let justice be served — and through justice, we can begin rebuilding again.
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Very interesting post, Shahed. I wish I had met your father. He must have valuable insights.
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[We will publish this in a separate thread meant for Political handling of the situation tomorrow ]
One thing that confounds me completely is the total absence of any response from the army while the mayhem was being perpetrated. It is becoming quite clear that the killings continued for an extended period of time and I am sure there were SMS messages and phone calls about the happenings.
Was it not the army’s duty to go in and try to save its soldiers. Can you imagine how the Israelis would have reacted in a situation like this.
I agree that by abiding to the civilian government, the army has earned laurels and political brownie points but by failing to save its fellow soldiers whom they were duty bound to protect they have failed miserably in their principal goal of protecting its own.
Yes,
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Globetrotter:
Thanks for your comment. As you can guess, he was a very old soldier, and has been dead for a few years now. I somehow don’t think he’d be very happy if he were.
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Shahed I don’t think your father would have been happy either, and i don’t believe anyone in the country can be happy. For soldiers to have done this act of mutiny they can only be tried for treason and the penalty for such is Death by firing squad or hanging. I don’t know if only jawans are responsible or are some officers involved in this as well. We know a lot of the Deputy assistant directors (Hurts to call them DADs) were rounded up by Police and RAB and already charged with various crimes.
I hope they try the people quickly but our dear country has a history for not trying criminal offenders swiftly (jail killers, war criminals) so I don’t know how long this will take. I only hope that the army does not allow emotions to run them and start taking a heavy handed approach and affect innocent jawans.
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