Train communications on Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chittagong routes was disrupted for two hours as three compartments of a local train derailed at Akhaura Rail Station Thursday afternoon.
Akhaura Railway sources said three compartments of a local train derailed at about 1:30pm at the station.
Rail communications resumed at about 3:30pm when a relief train removed the compartments.
Different trains including inter-city trains got stranded following the derailment, causing huge sufferings to the passengers.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
DG of Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office reappointed
Joint secretary Abdul Aziz, deputed to the Prime Minister’s Office as director general, has been reappointed under a contract.
The two-year contract will come into effect on February 23 or from the day he joins the work, an establishment ministry circular said on Thursday.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The two-year contract will come into effect on February 23 or from the day he joins the work, an establishment ministry circular said on Thursday.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
One killed, 19 hurt in AL internal clash in Patuakhali
One person was killed and 19 others were injured in AL internal clash at Awliapur village of Patuakhali sadar upazila on Thursday.
Yusuf Molla, 40, fatally wounded in the clash was admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal from where he was referred to Dhaka. He died at Aricha Ferry ghat on way to Dhaka Thursday afternoon.
The clash took place Wednesday afternoon over selection of chairman candidates for the ensuing UP election at a party meeting which was also attended by Golam Mawla Rony MP of the area.
Of the injured, ten persons were admitted to Patuakhali Sadar Hospital.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Yusuf Molla, 40, fatally wounded in the clash was admitted to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barisal from where he was referred to Dhaka. He died at Aricha Ferry ghat on way to Dhaka Thursday afternoon.
The clash took place Wednesday afternoon over selection of chairman candidates for the ensuing UP election at a party meeting which was also attended by Golam Mawla Rony MP of the area.
Of the injured, ten persons were admitted to Patuakhali Sadar Hospital.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
10 arrested over Serafina’s suicide in Rajshahi
THE police arrested 10 people on Wednesday night from a church at Godagary upazila in Rajshahi on the charge of forcing to commit suicide an ethnic minority girl.
A sub inspector of police filled a case against these alleged people in this regard.
The arrested were chief of the santal community Bishwanath Tudu, 70, Shristee Tudu, 56, resident of Sunsunipara, Jotin Hemron, 46, Munir Murmi, 50, Mobin Hemron, 54, Amin Murmu, 50, Shamuil Marandi, 45, Poresh Murmu, 45, residents of Amtali village, and Bishwanath Marandi, 50, of Mohalain village.
Zakirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Godagary police station, told New Age that the police had made a drama to arrest these alleged people.
He said that the police called these 10 people at a church of the community saying that police would sit a meeting in this regard.
But the police arrested the 10 people from the church at around 10:30pm on Wednesday and they were produced to court on Thursday noon, the OC added.
Earlier, two organisations of ethnic minorities, Santal Students’ Union and Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, on Wednesday staged demonstrations and formed human chains under separate programmes in Rajshahi city and Godagari upazila demanding
exemplary punishment of the rapists of the ethnic minority girl who was later forced to commit suicide from humiliation and trauma.
Serafina Mardi, a 14-year-old ethnic minority girl gang-raped 10 months ago, set herself on fire at her Amtulipara home under Godagari upazila in Rajshahi on February 17 and succumbed to the burn injuries on Monday.
After the human chain programme, the Adibashi leaders submitted a memorandum containing the demands to Godagari upazila nirbahi officer, who said he would forward it to the home minister as soon as possible.
The minority leaders also announced that a rally would be held at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city and a memorandum would be submitted to the deputy commissioner of Rajshahi on February 28 to press home the demands.
Sources said after being raped by nine indigenous men on April 4 last year, Serafin filed a complaint with Godagari police station accusing Kallus Mardi, Nirmol Murmu, Julian Mardi, Jewel Mardi, Semon Hembrom, Simon Murmu, Porimol Soren, Ilias Murmu, and Ranjan Mardi of committing the atrocity.
But she was denied justice as the accused managed to make her family to make an out-of-court settlement in exchange of Tk 1.40 lakh, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad general secretary Rabindranath Soren told New Age, adding that rapists were influential people in the local indigenous community.
What had been even more tormenting to the ill-fated teenage girl was that, as part of the settlement, Serafina’s family married her to one of the accused, Nirmol Murmu.
Soon after the accused became sure that they had successfully averted a judicial trial, Nirmol divorced the girl, Rabindranath said.
Serafina, a Class V student of Novera Surshuni Christian Missionary School, had tried to commit suicide several times since November 24, the day the settlement was made, her brother-in-law Jacob Soren told New Age.
Serafina was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on February 17, Thursday with burns all over her body. But her family took her back home after two days.
Rabindranath alleged the accused rapists had
forced the family to bring Serafina back from the hospital, although RMCH physicians insisted that her treatment must continue.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
A sub inspector of police filled a case against these alleged people in this regard.
The arrested were chief of the santal community Bishwanath Tudu, 70, Shristee Tudu, 56, resident of Sunsunipara, Jotin Hemron, 46, Munir Murmi, 50, Mobin Hemron, 54, Amin Murmu, 50, Shamuil Marandi, 45, Poresh Murmu, 45, residents of Amtali village, and Bishwanath Marandi, 50, of Mohalain village.
Zakirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Godagary police station, told New Age that the police had made a drama to arrest these alleged people.
He said that the police called these 10 people at a church of the community saying that police would sit a meeting in this regard.
But the police arrested the 10 people from the church at around 10:30pm on Wednesday and they were produced to court on Thursday noon, the OC added.
Earlier, two organisations of ethnic minorities, Santal Students’ Union and Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, on Wednesday staged demonstrations and formed human chains under separate programmes in Rajshahi city and Godagari upazila demanding
exemplary punishment of the rapists of the ethnic minority girl who was later forced to commit suicide from humiliation and trauma.
Serafina Mardi, a 14-year-old ethnic minority girl gang-raped 10 months ago, set herself on fire at her Amtulipara home under Godagari upazila in Rajshahi on February 17 and succumbed to the burn injuries on Monday.
After the human chain programme, the Adibashi leaders submitted a memorandum containing the demands to Godagari upazila nirbahi officer, who said he would forward it to the home minister as soon as possible.
The minority leaders also announced that a rally would be held at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city and a memorandum would be submitted to the deputy commissioner of Rajshahi on February 28 to press home the demands.
Sources said after being raped by nine indigenous men on April 4 last year, Serafin filed a complaint with Godagari police station accusing Kallus Mardi, Nirmol Murmu, Julian Mardi, Jewel Mardi, Semon Hembrom, Simon Murmu, Porimol Soren, Ilias Murmu, and Ranjan Mardi of committing the atrocity.
But she was denied justice as the accused managed to make her family to make an out-of-court settlement in exchange of Tk 1.40 lakh, Jatiya Adibashi Parishad general secretary Rabindranath Soren told New Age, adding that rapists were influential people in the local indigenous community.
What had been even more tormenting to the ill-fated teenage girl was that, as part of the settlement, Serafina’s family married her to one of the accused, Nirmol Murmu.
Soon after the accused became sure that they had successfully averted a judicial trial, Nirmol divorced the girl, Rabindranath said.
Serafina, a Class V student of Novera Surshuni Christian Missionary School, had tried to commit suicide several times since November 24, the day the settlement was made, her brother-in-law Jacob Soren told New Age.
Serafina was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on February 17, Thursday with burns all over her body. But her family took her back home after two days.
Rabindranath alleged the accused rapists had
forced the family to bring Serafina back from the hospital, although RMCH physicians insisted that her treatment must continue.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
50 landmines recovered in Jhenaidah
The Jhenaidah sadar thana police on Wednesday night recovered 50 live land mines from two cartons wrapping with polythene on the bank of a pond at village Armukh in Jhenaidah sadar upazila.
The Jhenaidah police station officer-in-charge Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury said at about 9:30pm local people informed him that something like arms or ammunitions was found on the bank of the pond.
Being informed, the thana police went to the spot and recovered the powerful land mines.
The mines might be kept wrapping with polythene during the liberation movement in 1971, said Jhenaidah superintendent of police Rezaul Karim.
Earlier, two rocket launchers were found last month in Kotchandpur municipality area when two farmers were spading the land for paddy cultivation.
Huge arms, ammunitions or explosives might be kept at separate places in the district during the liberation war in 1971, the superintendent of police said.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The Jhenaidah police station officer-in-charge Iqbal Bahar Chowdhury said at about 9:30pm local people informed him that something like arms or ammunitions was found on the bank of the pond.
Being informed, the thana police went to the spot and recovered the powerful land mines.
The mines might be kept wrapping with polythene during the liberation movement in 1971, said Jhenaidah superintendent of police Rezaul Karim.
Earlier, two rocket launchers were found last month in Kotchandpur municipality area when two farmers were spading the land for paddy cultivation.
Huge arms, ammunitions or explosives might be kept at separate places in the district during the liberation war in 1971, the superintendent of police said.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Young man found dead in Pabna
An unidentified young man was found dead in Khoyer Suti area beside Pabna-Sujanagar road in Pabna Sadar upazila Thursday morning.
Being informed by local people, the police recovered the body of the unidentified young man, aged about 30, from the area that bore injury marks in chest and neck.
The body was sent to Pabna Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
The police said some miscreants might have killed him following a previous enmity.
A case was filed.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Being informed by local people, the police recovered the body of the unidentified young man, aged about 30, from the area that bore injury marks in chest and neck.
The body was sent to Pabna Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
The police said some miscreants might have killed him following a previous enmity.
A case was filed.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Schoolboy killed in road accident Moulvibazar-Sylhet road
A primary school student was killed in a road accident at Balikandi on Moulvibazar-Sylhet road on Thursday morning.
The deceased was identified as Pinki, 8, daughter of Asik Miah of village Ghorua in Moulvibazar sadar upazila. She was a student of class-II of Sardarbari Government Primary School.
The Moulvibazar sadar thana police said a CNG auto rickshaw ran over Pinki while she was crossing the road, leaving her dead on the spot. Her younger sister was along with her on her way to school.
The police seized the auto rickshaw and arrested its driver.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The deceased was identified as Pinki, 8, daughter of Asik Miah of village Ghorua in Moulvibazar sadar upazila. She was a student of class-II of Sardarbari Government Primary School.
The Moulvibazar sadar thana police said a CNG auto rickshaw ran over Pinki while she was crossing the road, leaving her dead on the spot. Her younger sister was along with her on her way to school.
The police seized the auto rickshaw and arrested its driver.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Kushtia students lock up chairman’s room demanding more classrooms
The students of Bengali department of Islamic University in Kushtia locked up the chairman’s room and classrooms on Thursday demanding more classrooms.
The lack of sufficient class rooms was hampering the academic activities of the Bengali department, the students said. Only three classrooms were allocated for 500 students of seven batches of this department, they added.
Campus sources said the Bengali departments’ students locked up chairman’s room and gathered in front of dean office at about 11:30am chanting slogan for demanding more class rooms.
Later, the students opened the lock after getting assurance of allocation more class rooms by IU proctor and Bengali departments’ chairman.
‘Most of the time we waste our time locating classrooms. The masters students are most of the sufferers,’ said, Nurunnahar, a masters student of the Bengali department.
The chairman of the Bengali department said he had already informed the IU authority. If the authority allotted more budgets, the work for building new classrooms would be started in next week, he said.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The lack of sufficient class rooms was hampering the academic activities of the Bengali department, the students said. Only three classrooms were allocated for 500 students of seven batches of this department, they added.
Campus sources said the Bengali departments’ students locked up chairman’s room and gathered in front of dean office at about 11:30am chanting slogan for demanding more class rooms.
Later, the students opened the lock after getting assurance of allocation more class rooms by IU proctor and Bengali departments’ chairman.
‘Most of the time we waste our time locating classrooms. The masters students are most of the sufferers,’ said, Nurunnahar, a masters student of the Bengali department.
The chairman of the Bengali department said he had already informed the IU authority. If the authority allotted more budgets, the work for building new classrooms would be started in next week, he said.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Bangladesh upazila parishad polls start from March 29
Elections to 596 union parishads in 72 upazilas on the coastal belt will be held in a staggered manner between March 29 and April 3 in the first phase of the long overdue polls to the lowest tier of local government.
The chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, on Thursday announced the schedule for the first phase of union parishad polls and said that elections to the rest 3,704 union parishads would be held between third week of May and June in the second phase.
No political parties from the Awami League-led alliance or opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led coalition turned up at the Election Commission on Thursday to discuss ways to keep the upcoming union parishad polls free from political influence.
The EC earlier had invited the two alliances to talks for discussions on how to keep the local elections free from political influence.
According to the schedule, candidates could submit nomination papers until March 5, which would be scrutinised in March 6-7. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is March 13.
The number of union parishads is 4,505. Polls to 205 union parishads would not be possible at the moment due to legal complexities, said an election official. The last union parishad polls were held in 2003.
The chief election commissioner has urged all political parties not to influence nomination of candidates for the union parishad polls.
Huda said since every election was political, local government polls were not completely out of politics; but it was not party-based election.
The Election Commission had planned to sit on Thursday with the eight political parties having representation in parliament to discuss ways to keep the upcoming union parishad polls free from political influence.
None but Liberal Democratic Party, the lone political parties outside the two electoral alliances having representation in parliament, joined the dialogue.
Components of both AL-led alliance and BNP-led coalition sought time to attend such dialogues.
A two-member delegation of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, went to the Election Commission secretariat but left without talks as none of its allies in the AL-led alliance was present.
The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, termed the political parties’ skipping the talks as a lesson for the commission admitting that the commission should have invited them earlier. ‘We do not want to take any move unilaterally,’ he said.
The CEC said it would avoid such short notices in the future.
‘We wanted to know the parties’ views on keeping the union parishad polls free from political influence,’ he said during the dialogue with representatives of the LDP.
LDP delegate head Jahanara Begum said her party would help the EC to hold a non-partisan election.
Acting JSD president Mainuddin Khan Badal went to the commission in the morning but left after a while. ‘There is a communication gap in the alliance…We did not know that our alliance would not join the dialogue. We are leaving as none of our allies have turned up,’ Mainuddin told reporters before leaving the commission secretariat.
According to EC’s invitation and schedule, the commission was supposed to sit with the Awami League and its allies – Jatiya Party, Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal – in the morning. Liberal Democratic Party was also invited to the talks along with the AL-led ‘grand’ alliance.
The BNP and its allies – Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party – were invited to the EC in the afternoon.
Jamaat-e-Islami on Tuesday wrote to the EC expressing its dissatisfaction over the commission’s not inviting them as a political party.
The CEC urged former and incumbent ministers, and parliament members to go by the electoral code of conduct.
Election commissioner Muhammad Sakhawat Hussain, narrating his experience in the municipal polls, said there were allegations that senior leaders had taken money from the candidates for taking part in their campaigns.
When asked about the request of the aspirants to change their voter registration address, Shamsul Huda said that the commission would receive applications till February 28 in this regard.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
The chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, on Thursday announced the schedule for the first phase of union parishad polls and said that elections to the rest 3,704 union parishads would be held between third week of May and June in the second phase.
No political parties from the Awami League-led alliance or opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led coalition turned up at the Election Commission on Thursday to discuss ways to keep the upcoming union parishad polls free from political influence.
The EC earlier had invited the two alliances to talks for discussions on how to keep the local elections free from political influence.
According to the schedule, candidates could submit nomination papers until March 5, which would be scrutinised in March 6-7. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is March 13.
The number of union parishads is 4,505. Polls to 205 union parishads would not be possible at the moment due to legal complexities, said an election official. The last union parishad polls were held in 2003.
The chief election commissioner has urged all political parties not to influence nomination of candidates for the union parishad polls.
Huda said since every election was political, local government polls were not completely out of politics; but it was not party-based election.
The Election Commission had planned to sit on Thursday with the eight political parties having representation in parliament to discuss ways to keep the upcoming union parishad polls free from political influence.
None but Liberal Democratic Party, the lone political parties outside the two electoral alliances having representation in parliament, joined the dialogue.
Components of both AL-led alliance and BNP-led coalition sought time to attend such dialogues.
A two-member delegation of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, went to the Election Commission secretariat but left without talks as none of its allies in the AL-led alliance was present.
The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, termed the political parties’ skipping the talks as a lesson for the commission admitting that the commission should have invited them earlier. ‘We do not want to take any move unilaterally,’ he said.
The CEC said it would avoid such short notices in the future.
‘We wanted to know the parties’ views on keeping the union parishad polls free from political influence,’ he said during the dialogue with representatives of the LDP.
LDP delegate head Jahanara Begum said her party would help the EC to hold a non-partisan election.
Acting JSD president Mainuddin Khan Badal went to the commission in the morning but left after a while. ‘There is a communication gap in the alliance…We did not know that our alliance would not join the dialogue. We are leaving as none of our allies have turned up,’ Mainuddin told reporters before leaving the commission secretariat.
According to EC’s invitation and schedule, the commission was supposed to sit with the Awami League and its allies – Jatiya Party, Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal – in the morning. Liberal Democratic Party was also invited to the talks along with the AL-led ‘grand’ alliance.
The BNP and its allies – Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party – were invited to the EC in the afternoon.
Jamaat-e-Islami on Tuesday wrote to the EC expressing its dissatisfaction over the commission’s not inviting them as a political party.
The CEC urged former and incumbent ministers, and parliament members to go by the electoral code of conduct.
Election commissioner Muhammad Sakhawat Hussain, narrating his experience in the municipal polls, said there were allegations that senior leaders had taken money from the candidates for taking part in their campaigns.
When asked about the request of the aspirants to change their voter registration address, Shamsul Huda said that the commission would receive applications till February 28 in this regard.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Plotters still not identified in Bangladesh BDR mutiny
Even two years inside the February 25-26, 2009 rebellion in the then Bangladesh Rifles, later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh, the plotters of the bloody mutiny are still unidentified, the conspiracy is yet to be cracked, and the grievances, identified by two probe bodies as the primary reasons for the rebellion, have not yet been addressed.
Seventy-five people – 57 army officers, a retired army man, wives of two army officers, 9 BDR soldiers, 5 civilians, an army soldier and a police constable – were killed in the BDR headquarters in Dhaka in February 25-26, 2009 when the soldiers took up arms against their officers from the army.
The government on March 2, 2009 formed a committee, headed by former secretary Anis-uz-Zaman Khan, to investigate the rebellion. The committee submitted its report to the home ministry on May 21, 2009. The army also formed a ‘court of inquiry’ to investigate the rebellion and the body submitted its report to the army chief on May 10, 2009.
None of the probe reports has yet been made public. New Age, however, could obtain the copies of the reports.
The army court of inquiry in its report recommended formation of a high-level court of inquiry to investigate the involvement of civilians and institutions with the rebellion observing that the court of inquiry had failed to identify the masterminds as it could not obtain information on them because of its limitations.
The government inquiry committee, in its report, also said it could not identify the masterminds and plotters of the rebellion and the killings as it lacked tools and techniques to interrogate the suspects and unearth the truth and none of the people brought before the committee provided any crucial information or proof. It also recommended a further inquiry to identify the plotters.
No such inquiry, recommended by both the investigation committees, has yet been conducted to identify the masterminds and to unearth the conspiracy.
The Criminal Investigation Department on July 13, 2010 submitted charge sheet against 801 soldiers and 23 civilians, including former Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Hazaribagh Awami League leader Torab Ali and Dhaka City Corporation councillor Suraiya Begum, for committing criminal offences, including murder and robbery, during the rebellion.
Twenty-five charges were pressed against the soldiers under 25 sections of the Penal Code. The charges include criminal conspiracy, waging war against the state through the rebellion, conspiracy against the state, sedition, murder, attempt to murder, rioting, wrongful confinement of officers and their families, causing injuries to officers and their families, mischief by firing or explosion, theft and destroying evidence by burying the slain officers in mass graves and hiding some of the bodies in manholes or in drains.
Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Mohammad Jahurul Haque, however, on February 3 granted a prosecution petition for further investigation into the case and ordered the CID to submit the investigation report by March 3.
Meanwhile, 1,065 soldiers have so far been sentenced to imprisonment of various terms – from four months to seven years – by different special courts of the border guards on charge of the mutiny.
Grievances of most of the soldiers identified by the two probe committees as primary reasons for the rebellion have been overlooked.
Both the probe bodies recommended reorganisation of the paramilitary force and the government has already reformed the BDR renaming it Border Guard Bangladesh and changed its uniforms.
The Border Guard Bangladesh Act 2010 was also enacted on December 6, 2010 for the border guards repealing the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 and raising the maximum punishment of the force personnel on mutiny charges from seven-year imprisonment to death penalty without any scope for appeal to any civil court or the Supreme Court.
The government has reformed the border guards without addressing the demands and grievances of the soldiers.
The army’s court of inquiry identified a dozen reasons, including grievances and misunderstanding of the soldiers, for the rebellion.
Reasons for the rebellion as identified in the report includes wrong impression about the facilities of the army, lack of transparency in establishing and running BDR shops, delay in payment of duty allowances for the 2008 national elections, misunderstanding about lease and contracts of different works in the BDR headquarters, irregularities in admission to schools in the headquarters and wrong impression about the BDR’s director general Shakil Ahmed, his wife Nazneen Shakil and Dhaka sector commander Mujubul Haque’s alleged involvement in irregularities, and delay made by the home and finance ministries in resolving BDR problems.
The investigation committee instituted by the home ministry found that discontent among the BDR soldiers about their commanding officers deputed from the army had been latent for long.
It recommended that a balance should be struck in the facilities for the military, paramilitary and law enforcement agencies.
The home secretary, Abdus Sobhan Sikder, said the government had started taking measures in line with the recommendations of the investigation committee.
‘The grievances identified by the committee as primary reason for the carnage, including their promotion, have been addressed in the new law…The BDR has been reformed in line with the probe committee report,’ he told New Age on Thursday.
After the mutiny, the government has increased the amount of rations for BDR soldiers to 100 per cent from 60 per cent.
‘The committee has identified the soldiers’ grievances and their demand for increased allowances as the primary reasons for the mutiny… Besides, Dal Bhat Programme, punishments meted out to soldiers, irregularities in running BDR shops and schools and luxurious living of officers fuelled the discontent,’ Anis-uz-Zaman said when he disclosed the report to the media on May 27, 2009.
The committee found that the grievances the BDR soldiers had harboured against their commanding officers from the army were the immediate reason for the rebellion and hinted that the players behind the scenes might have pulled the strings capitalising on the discontent to destabilise the country in a planned manner.
It, however, could not establish the real cause and motive for the carnage and suggested further investigations to identify the plotters. The committee suggested revision of the service tenure of the BDR soldiers in line with that of the army.
The government investigation committee said that a group of BDR soldiers had met a number of politicians before the mutiny taking up with them their demands that included 100 per cent rations, increase in border allowance, recruitment of cadre officers for the BDR, revision of its pay structure in line with that of the army and sending BDR soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions.
The committee, among others, suggested formation of a central intelligence coordination committee and reallocation of businesses for the intelligence agencies as long-term measures.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Seventy-five people – 57 army officers, a retired army man, wives of two army officers, 9 BDR soldiers, 5 civilians, an army soldier and a police constable – were killed in the BDR headquarters in Dhaka in February 25-26, 2009 when the soldiers took up arms against their officers from the army.
The government on March 2, 2009 formed a committee, headed by former secretary Anis-uz-Zaman Khan, to investigate the rebellion. The committee submitted its report to the home ministry on May 21, 2009. The army also formed a ‘court of inquiry’ to investigate the rebellion and the body submitted its report to the army chief on May 10, 2009.
None of the probe reports has yet been made public. New Age, however, could obtain the copies of the reports.
The army court of inquiry in its report recommended formation of a high-level court of inquiry to investigate the involvement of civilians and institutions with the rebellion observing that the court of inquiry had failed to identify the masterminds as it could not obtain information on them because of its limitations.
The government inquiry committee, in its report, also said it could not identify the masterminds and plotters of the rebellion and the killings as it lacked tools and techniques to interrogate the suspects and unearth the truth and none of the people brought before the committee provided any crucial information or proof. It also recommended a further inquiry to identify the plotters.
No such inquiry, recommended by both the investigation committees, has yet been conducted to identify the masterminds and to unearth the conspiracy.
The Criminal Investigation Department on July 13, 2010 submitted charge sheet against 801 soldiers and 23 civilians, including former Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Hazaribagh Awami League leader Torab Ali and Dhaka City Corporation councillor Suraiya Begum, for committing criminal offences, including murder and robbery, during the rebellion.
Twenty-five charges were pressed against the soldiers under 25 sections of the Penal Code. The charges include criminal conspiracy, waging war against the state through the rebellion, conspiracy against the state, sedition, murder, attempt to murder, rioting, wrongful confinement of officers and their families, causing injuries to officers and their families, mischief by firing or explosion, theft and destroying evidence by burying the slain officers in mass graves and hiding some of the bodies in manholes or in drains.
Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Mohammad Jahurul Haque, however, on February 3 granted a prosecution petition for further investigation into the case and ordered the CID to submit the investigation report by March 3.
Meanwhile, 1,065 soldiers have so far been sentenced to imprisonment of various terms – from four months to seven years – by different special courts of the border guards on charge of the mutiny.
Grievances of most of the soldiers identified by the two probe committees as primary reasons for the rebellion have been overlooked.
Both the probe bodies recommended reorganisation of the paramilitary force and the government has already reformed the BDR renaming it Border Guard Bangladesh and changed its uniforms.
The Border Guard Bangladesh Act 2010 was also enacted on December 6, 2010 for the border guards repealing the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 and raising the maximum punishment of the force personnel on mutiny charges from seven-year imprisonment to death penalty without any scope for appeal to any civil court or the Supreme Court.
The government has reformed the border guards without addressing the demands and grievances of the soldiers.
The army’s court of inquiry identified a dozen reasons, including grievances and misunderstanding of the soldiers, for the rebellion.
Reasons for the rebellion as identified in the report includes wrong impression about the facilities of the army, lack of transparency in establishing and running BDR shops, delay in payment of duty allowances for the 2008 national elections, misunderstanding about lease and contracts of different works in the BDR headquarters, irregularities in admission to schools in the headquarters and wrong impression about the BDR’s director general Shakil Ahmed, his wife Nazneen Shakil and Dhaka sector commander Mujubul Haque’s alleged involvement in irregularities, and delay made by the home and finance ministries in resolving BDR problems.
The investigation committee instituted by the home ministry found that discontent among the BDR soldiers about their commanding officers deputed from the army had been latent for long.
It recommended that a balance should be struck in the facilities for the military, paramilitary and law enforcement agencies.
The home secretary, Abdus Sobhan Sikder, said the government had started taking measures in line with the recommendations of the investigation committee.
‘The grievances identified by the committee as primary reason for the carnage, including their promotion, have been addressed in the new law…The BDR has been reformed in line with the probe committee report,’ he told New Age on Thursday.
After the mutiny, the government has increased the amount of rations for BDR soldiers to 100 per cent from 60 per cent.
‘The committee has identified the soldiers’ grievances and their demand for increased allowances as the primary reasons for the mutiny… Besides, Dal Bhat Programme, punishments meted out to soldiers, irregularities in running BDR shops and schools and luxurious living of officers fuelled the discontent,’ Anis-uz-Zaman said when he disclosed the report to the media on May 27, 2009.
The committee found that the grievances the BDR soldiers had harboured against their commanding officers from the army were the immediate reason for the rebellion and hinted that the players behind the scenes might have pulled the strings capitalising on the discontent to destabilise the country in a planned manner.
It, however, could not establish the real cause and motive for the carnage and suggested further investigations to identify the plotters. The committee suggested revision of the service tenure of the BDR soldiers in line with that of the army.
The government investigation committee said that a group of BDR soldiers had met a number of politicians before the mutiny taking up with them their demands that included 100 per cent rations, increase in border allowance, recruitment of cadre officers for the BDR, revision of its pay structure in line with that of the army and sending BDR soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions.
The committee, among others, suggested formation of a central intelligence coordination committee and reallocation of businesses for the intelligence agencies as long-term measures.
Read the original story on the daily New Age
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)