Nation pays tribute to Pilkhana martyrs

The 14th anniversary of the Pilkhana BDR massacre is being observed today.

A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the carnage in 2009.

Marking the day, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has organised Quran recital, prayers, and milad mahfil, said a BGB press release.

Major General S M Salahuddin Islam, Military Secretary to the President; and Major General Kabir Ahmed, Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, placed wreaths at the graves of the slain army officers at the Military Graveyard in the capital's Banani on behalf of the President and the Prime Minister, respectively, said a press release of ISPR.

BGB flags are being flown at half-mast at all Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) installations and all BGB members are wearing black badges to mark the day.

Besides, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Acting Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haq and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan and family members of the slain officers also paid their tributes.

On February 25, 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men staged an armed revolt at the Darbar Hall of the force's Pilkhana headquarters during the three-day "BDR Week". They killed 74 people, including 57 army officers.

The mutiny ended the following day with the surrender of firearms, ammunition and grenades through a negotiation between the then government and the BDR rebels.

A total of 58 cases including one for murder and looting and the rest for mutiny were filed in connection with the incident.

Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms in the killing case. Besides, 277 accused were acquitted in the country’s largest-ever killing case.

Among the convicts, 262 mutineers were sentenced to different jail terms starting from three months to 19 years and 161 people, including late BNP leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali, were sentenced to life imprisonment.

On the other hand, 5,926 BDR personnel were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from four months to seven years in the 57 mutiny cases.