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Bangladesh Rifles revolt

The details of  the incidence:

First day:

The mutiny started on the second day of the yearly occasion "BDR Week" which was earlier inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As the session began at the auditorium named as "Darbar Hall", a number of jawans spoke against the higher ranked officials, while the BDR Director General Shakil Ahmed was making a speech. They demanded the removal of Army officials from the BDR command and equal rights for the BDR soldiers.Soon they took the Director General and other senior officials as hostages inside the auditorium. They also prepared heavy artillery at the main entrance gates of the headquarters. The regular army and the Rapid Action Batellian tried to take command and took up a strong position at the opposite side of the gates, resulting in heavy gunfire and mortar attacks from the BDR mutineers.

The Director General of the BDR, Major General Shakil Ahmed, was reported to have been killed during the revolt along with dozens of other senior commanders of the BDR who were taken hostage.Additionally, at least six civilians, including a boy, have been confirmed dead in the crossfire.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina declared a general amnesty for the rebels.

Demands:

Bangladesh Rifles soldiers had put a 22-point demand including the withdrawal of seconded regular army officers from the BDR. Instead, they wanted the original BDR members to be promoted from the ranks. They demanded their officials to be educated and wanted the officials to be selected on the basis of the Bangladesh Civil Service Examination. While speaking to private television networks, BDR jawans alleged that senior officials of BDR were involved in conspiracy, directly accusing the Director General, his wife and the Deputy Director General of embezzling soldier wage bonuses from the Operation Dal-Bhaat Program and from extra duties in the General Elections held on 29 December 2008. Operation Dal-Bhaat was a welfare program run by the BDR to provide rice and other daily essentials to the poor. Other demands included 100 percent rationing, introduction of BDR soldiers in peacekeeping missions and the overall welfare of BDR members.

Second day:

 

Some reports from inside the BDR headquarters stated that the number of dead rose up to 50 by the second day. However, this was not independently confirmed. It was confirmed that the bodies of five BDR personnel were found beside the River Buriganga.

The home minister Sahara Khatun convinced the jawans to give up their arms by assuring them that the Army would not go into the BDR headquarters. As a result, the rebels began to surrender their arms and release the hostages. However, as this was happening in Dhaka, revolts by other members of the BDR started in at least 12 other towns and cities. Fighting and takeovers by the BDR was reported in: Chittagong, at Feni, on the eastern border with India, in Rajshahi in the north-west, and Sylhet in the north.

As of the very latest news, BDR outposts at more than 46 locations have been reported to have shown signs of great agitation. BDR jawans have claimed to have taken command of Jessor BDR garrison as well as major BDR establishments in Satkhira, Dinajpur, Naogaon and Netrokona.

Mass media news tickers are confirming that the mutineers have overrun Khagrachari, Ramgar, Sylhet 22 sect and Jessor BDR regional HQs.

As per media tickers, the BDR members have again started surrendering their arms after the PM addressed the nation and reassured the BDR personnel that no action will be taken against them. But she also warned the mutineers of "harsh actions" if they don’t immediately lay down their arms and cease all hostilities. Following the speech of Sheikh Hasina, the army deployed tanks in front of the BDR headquarters. After that, the mutineers surrendered their arms as described by the media spokesman of the Prime Minister. Following the surrender, Armed Police Battalion took over the BDR headquarters.

Third day:

On February 27, about 200 BDR mutineers were arrested while trying to escape from their headquarters at Pilkhana in civilian outfits. Army tanks and troops entered the headquarters of the BDR.Home minister Sahara Khatun had assured that the army had entered under the supervision of the Home Ministry. She also said that the BDR personnel were kept at a safer place inside the headquarters and the army had entered to help with the rescue and search operations. It is still unclear whether the mutiny has been aborted in at least 12 BDR bases outside of Dhaka. As search for the missing personnel continued inside the headquarters, 42 more dead bodies were found and it was thought that more than 130 regular army officers were killed by the rebels. As of February 27, the official death toll has risen to 54.

References:

1.http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/27/bangladesh.mutiny.family/index.html

2.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7914071.stm

 

 

 

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