Untold Facts

The BDR Mutiny of 25-26 February 2009: Lessons for Bangladesh

Mutiny among low paid security personnel like the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) men though rare but had not been without precedence. But most tragically the 25-26 February (09) one that took place in the BDR Headquarter, Pilkhana, Dhaka, has significantly been without precedence for its main target of the young mutineers attack, so far facts are available, were their bosses in hierarchy of all those who came in deputation for few years to serve the BDR higher ranks from the regular armed forces senior cadre of the Bangladesh Army. In the mutiny the first target for killing was the BDR Chief, an army Major General. It was not only that he was killed in brush fire but also his wife and body guard, another army captain, slained with the same ferocity. Could any one take these killings of three, apart from many other senior army officers killed in the mayhem, just for petty demands for better pay and other facilities demanded but not met for some time? It’s difficult to accept the mutiny with such simplistic and straight forward explanation.

As the dead bodies of those killed by the mutineers are being found and unearthed from the sewerage lines flowing down into the river Buriganga close to the Pilkhana, and now scores of other from mass grave near about the in campus hospital, it should be logically reasonable to assume that the operation had been mainly against those officers came on deputation. The pretext, however, was some thing else, as well.

The grievances include lower salaries, no scope for employment to earn large amount of dollars in years in UN employment outside the country, and no scope for top jobs for the direct BDR recruits in the organization. Be these are genuine demands, one fails to understand why they remained unattended for long. Why not the intelligence organizations of Bangladesh including the DGFI failed to bring the grievances brewing there to the notice of appropriate authorities for timely redress?

There is another genuine opinion that the section who for long wished to bring disrepute to the whole army organization of Bangladesh might have taken the opportunity to take advantage of the unrest. The army officers have been having life style distinctly higher than not only of the foot soldiers but also millions of the poor people of the country that conspicuous consumption and extravagant living style may have obviously been a point of jealousy. The question of misbehavior by the top army bosses of the lower ranking Jawans as was known though nothing unusual in Bangladesh’s feudal mindset of the more affluent might have added to the pains of the BDR Jawans. The question however remains that the prices paid in life and blood much exceeded than what had been in all such grievances.

Bangladesh Army received cold shoulder from the very beginning as the party and the leader of the government in early 1970s wished to have more for a militia than a regular army that also was well taken by Bangladesh’s big neighbor for she wished to have a quiet border in the eastern front. For the same end the unconstitutional militia in the style of Rakkhi Bahini had been raised under extreme care, planning and motivational training given by the big shot of the Indian Army Intelligence stalwart General Ovan. Compared to the regular army this militia force was being equipped better than the other constitutional counterpart. The 15th August 1975 revolutionary change did abolish the force and absorbed them into the regular army not liked by the same neighbor for obvious reason. Since then the army has developed into viable institution to effectively fight any external aggression. Along with it the BDR has also been strengthened over the period so much so that the BDR under Major General Fazlur Rahman in late 1990s fought a decisively winning border battle well known as the Padua front fight with the Indian Border Security Force. Since then India was in the look out to avenge the defeat. One may wonder if the same jealousy took the revenge by inciting fratricidal bloodletting on the 25th February in Dhaka.

28th February Anadabazar Patrika of Kolkata had the first page online lead news in red that read, KHOVKE USKEI BIDROHO MODOD ISLAMI SHOKTIR, SANDEHO KARSE: DHAKAO. The Telegraph (daily) of the same location had the same news in content of the Anadabazar in addition to another not less important. In this item on the same day the daily quoted a highly placed source of their own of the Indian Government that it stated to have asked Dhaka to agree to have Special Indian force security guard for the Kolkata-Dhaka two day weekly train service, MOITRY EXPRESS, for replacement of the BDR guard in the train in Bangladesh territory. There might have many other similar gossips around there that in no way would be palatable to Bangladesh. While sympathy in the BDR matter may well be appreciable, the fact remains that any such move in the internal matter of Bangladesh, I am afraid, would not only be unacceptable but also be considered as disgustful rotten design behind the whole make up. Because, there is always some genuine apprehension in Bangladesh that India is hardly trust worthy for her continuing own design of hegemony against all neighbors.

Bangladesh is certainly capable to stand up to the test. An official inquiry committee has already been formed headed by the Home Minister; but that need be reinforced by another high powered independent judicial committee inquiry composed by retired judges of the High Court to separately sort out the issues involved into the whole matter.

Author: Prof. Dr. M.T. Hussain