Pilkhana carnage took place due to conspiracy by India: BNP leader Hafiz

The 2009 Pilkhana carnage took place due to conspiracies by India, newly appointed BNP Standing Committee member Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has alleged.

"Skilled Army officers were posted in the then Bangladesh Rifles [BDR], and they were brutally killed due to a conspiracy by the neighbouring state of India," The BNP leader said during a rally at the Jatiya Press Club auditorium today (17 August).

"We see that the ongoing trial of this massacre is dragging on, moving very slowly. At this pace, the justice process will never conclude," he added.

Hafiz demanded to release of the Army investigation report on the BDR (now BGB) mutiny publicly.

He further said, "On 25 February 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles men staged an armed revolt at the Darbar Hall of the force's Pilkhana headquarters during the three-day 'BDR Week'.

"A total of 74 people, including 57 Army officers, were killed in the massacre spread over two days. Later, an inquiry committee was formed by the Army under the leadership of Lt General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury to investigate the massacre.

"He also submitted the investigation report, but the Awami League government did not reveal it."

The senior leader also demanded the repatriation of ousted autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina from India to put her on trial for orchestrating the massacre aimed at suppressing the student-led mass uprising.

He urged India to return Hasina to Bangladesh to maintain friendly ties with its close neighbour.

"Sheikh Hasina is the biggest murderer in history. She did not refrain from engaging in any form of injustice or misdeeds. Many mothers have lost their children because of her actions. I demand that she be brought back to Bangladesh and brought to justice," the BNP leader said. 

Hafiz stated that if their party returns to power, warned that Hasina's fate would be like Mussolini of Italy.

"We urge India to send her (Hasina) to Bangladesh if you wish to maintain friendly relations. A murder case has already been filed against her, and many more will follow," Hafiz said.

The Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal organised the programme, demanding the trial of Sheikh Hasina for ordering the police force to carry out the massacre of students and for banning the Awami League as a terrorist organization.

Hafiz demanded that the government change the name of the Barishal Cantonment, which was named after the "despotic Sheikh Hasina".

He paid tribute to the martyrs of the student-led mass movement and expressed gratitude to the students for their bravery and sacrifices in freeing the country from autocracy.

The BNP leader alleged that the blood-thirsty Awami League government has made Bangladesh subservient to neighbouring India.

He said the role of the police force over the past sixteen years has demonstrated that it was the worst one in the world.

"Many police members are still on the run, and 13 police members were killed in one incident. Neither we nor the students support such actions. They (police) faced the wrath of the local people. Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League are responsible for their deaths," Hafiz observed.

He said the killers and bad elements within the police force either fled or were killed.

"We need the police force to establish the rule of law. Therefore, we want to transform it into a people-oriented force, involving those who are currently part of it. You should also support this transformation," Hafiz said.