BDR carnage reinvestigation: Commission looking into both domestic and foreign factors

The National Independent Investigation Commission is working in a "well organised" way to unveil the truths behind the carnage inside the then paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Pilkhana, said its Chairman Maj Gen (retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman.

"It is a complex task to unearth the truth about an event that occurred 16 years ago, but the commission is moving ahead with a well-structured approach," he said.

The retired general, who once led the paramilitary force to guard the country's frontier years ahead of the carnage, said the commission was working to gather all necessary evidence with a focus on five relevant aspects of the bloody mutiny.

He said the areas included unearthing the true nature of the incident at Pilkhana, identifying perpetrators, accomplices, conspirators, evidence destroyers, and instigators of the carnage on 25-26 February 2009 when 74 people including 57 military officers who were serving BDR on deputation, were killed.

Rahman said the commission would study both the possible domestic and foreign factors linked to the incident and identify those responsible for failing to prevent the massacre and other crimes.

"The commission has been tasked to complete its task in 90 working days and so far we recorded testimonies of 37 individuals in 41 working days," he said.

According to officials familiar with the reinvestigation process, those who testified before the commission until now are three lieutenant generals, two major generals, five brigadier generals, four colonels, four lieutenant colonels, seven majors, two captains, seven BDR soldiers, and three victims' family members.

The independent commission, comprised of former military and civil officers, including a policeman and public university teachers, was constituted on 24 December last year.

"We expect to complete our task within the stipulated time frame but if needed we may take some extra days," Rahman said.

Rahman said the commission by now conveyed its interest in talking to the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina and then army chief Gen (retd) Moeen U Ahmed as part of its task.

He said the commission sent letters to the foreign ministry to communicate with foreign embassies' concerns to reach them since they were currently living abroad.

"Moeen Uddin Ahmed was the army chief at that time. We need him and his statement to know why the operation failed and why so many people and army officers were killed," Rahman said.

He, however, said the commission also acknowledged the "challenges" of talking to these two persons.

Rahman said the commission asked the government to debar "some people" from traveling abroad since the commission might need to talk to them.

Asked if the commission would take into cognizance the previous two investigation reports on the carnage soon after the massacre, Rahman said they already received their reports prepared by the committees.

The two committees were led by Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, currently the home adviser, and former secretary Anisuzzaman.