BDR Mutiny Day 2 | Photo 06

 A retired army (served BDR too as a CO) officer's views on BDR mutiny who lost 6 of his batchmates!   ------------------------------------------------   I am not finding my words to frame the sentences and really don't know how to start. But you must know the truth. Just now I am back after listening from the eye witness. Yes, our beloved Enshad Bhai (Lt Col Enshad, Arty 1st BMA Long Course, ex FCC student) was possibly the second to be shot down. It would take long time to tell how it has started. You will come to know from electronic and print media. They shot DG BDR Maj Gen Shakil first (Innalillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajeun). Enshad bhai due to his appointment was close to DG. During that time there was an incoming call to his mobil phone set and hearing that sound of incoming call they shouted and fired him next (Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajeun). He was second person to be killed. As other officers were alive that time so they could understand the received 7 bullets and died instantly. If we want to know the exact time of his death then we may collect the print copy of his mobile number and count 2 seconds from that relating from the starting time of BDR DG's Darbar, however, the life won't come back. There are many other stories also known to me as I personally heard from the eyewitness. Your relatives may know many more information from Lt Col Qamruzzaman who is survived luckly despite that there were four attempts to kill him.    Please know that there were 168 officers present in the darbar where 30 officers were BDR officers (DAD or promotee officers). Rest all were army officers including who came from other 45 Battalions too for participating in Darbar and BDR week celebration. This strength (138 army officers) is confirmed.Now you already know how many dead bodies are recovered and how many officers are released alive. Initially they threw the dead bodies in the drain but once came to know from news that dead bodies are visible at certain points, then they possibly cut into pieces and then threw as small pieces while burned and buried rest of the bodies. They burned all officer's cars (may be more than 30) and robbed 100% officers houses and taken away all valuable just as "Shontrashi". DG Madam was brutally butchered and killed (they even told to other family members how she was killed just to make fun). I should not write details about those stories hear.   If any one really hope to listen the actual stories, please go to those who returned from Pilkhana or at least request your other known journalists or human rights workers so that country and the world knows these stories for any future justice.   I started typing this email 0105 hrs 27 Feb but writing now at 0945 hrs in the morning as I went to sleep in front of the Laptop as I was sleepless during all these crisis period. I was CO of two BDR battalions just before my retirement. If I didn't retire after 25 years then by now I would also be at Pilkhana by now and face the same. So, many officers were personally known to me. I had the telephone numbers of almost all BDR officers and CO/ 2ic. So, once the Pilkhana and other Sector HQ command were gone, I tried to contact to many over phone (I now know that many other officers also tried to keep contact with their friends who were with 45 Battalions at different parts of the country border). We sympathetic officers tried to keep contact and advice them but surprisingly and most possibly, army from authority side, possibly didn't gave them any directives regarding what to do (whether to still stay with the battalions or to leave the places to safer locations). I could understand the sentiment of around 100 officers who were present at Mirpur Cantonment after people from were brought there. Army Senior officers were in the inactive role during this crisis period. I saw our great FCC Maj Gen Iqbal Karim Bhuiya and the second senior most Lt Gen Jahangir too standing there silently as if they were also sympathetic visitors like we retired officers. As if they didn't have any other role to play. I hard mid level officers talking that during this crisis period army higher ranking officers were busy with normal day to day office activities during this crisis period. Officers were desperate to express is if they were busy only to safe guard their own present rank, status and appointment. I leave behind only few questions to my reader:   1. Should we not find the stories how the rest dead bodies were hidden/ destroyed? The answer of these stories may only be known to those rebel BDR soldiers only.   2. How and who will identify the killers where all eye witnesses are killed? Who will cross examine? Will BDR DADs and soldiers give correct statements against their own defaulters? How neutral will be the investigation? What will be the status of General Amnesty where as such grave nature killing, and destruction have taken place??? How so many rebels could fly away where as govt's so many agencies were deployed? How helped them in extrication?   3. Is the problem solved as told by the govt or just the starting of long going problems?   4. What are the loses to the nation of loosing so many high and mid level lifes/ military professionals? Economic, political, security, deplomatic, etc losses including the reputation of the nation? The loss to their individual families and friends are of course well understood by all which can never be returned.    5. How to recover ...... all?    My comments:   1. It is now known that most of the killings took place after the General Amnesty as rebel BDR soldiers thought killings every one will keep no eye witness. But now, could political solving save the life of many?Because many officers were alive until afternoon, so any strong and prompt deterrent military action would make rebels afraid and surrender/fly away (the way they have left the place now). In this way many other officer's life could have been saved possibly. Because during that time those inside officers would also remain operationally cooperative. It is known that DG BDR had the reaction time to make telephone calls to PM, Home Minister, Army Chief and IGP requesting for prompt help (SOS message) before she was shot. And now the world has witness the nature of help that was extended to allow time to rebels even to kill the rest, destroy the dead bodies and leave the place peacefully. More or less 10 thousands were inside the Pilkhana for the BDR week (exact strength may be known from the previous day's daily parade and ration strength). So many rebels were allowed to leave the place without arms where the nation news that RAB and army were cording the area.    2. Why people from 3 KM around were asked to leave the area at the last moment when it is already declared that rebels have surrendered their arms? Is it just for facilitating rebels to leave the place along with the general people when there is already rush of general people out side. Why only few are identified and captured enroute where as the whole nation knew that Pilkhana was surrounded by police, RAB and Army from the beginning?   3. As an ex military and BDR officer I would strongly comment that prompt military action was possibly the best option for keeping minimum loss in compare to what we have suffered now. In that case the BDR command could be restored by sorting out the rebels.   4. BDR can not be commanded with present DAD (promotee BDR officers) as it have to protect the International Border? I doubt whether or not other army General or officers would like to be re posted as BDR DG or CO/2ic/MO/OPS Officer/other appointments. If that will so, who will command 45 Battalions, 12 Sectors and HQ BDR??? Police/Anser/BCS/ Political leaders/ Other Officers????? Army officers had been commanding for so long operationally being successful according to BDR standard. But now, will the new/ adhoc command be successful while commanding this rebel BDR troops? Will the border remain secure at least like the past standard? Will the smuggling level remain under same level?  My comment is "NO".. the country and this BDR will have to pay a lot.   5. This incident/mutiny, the way it has unfolded until now, is of course was a master minded action by out side player.   6. PM, Home Minister, Army Chief and IGP didn't do much to extend the help which DG BDR asked for before he was shot.   7. Please ignore any mistake from above writings which I typed being tired. However, please try to get the main points which I tried to high light. I will never argue with any one even if some one disagree my opinion. Hope readers would only consider these as my personal opinion. You may also ignore any other sensitive comments, according to your understanding, which I wrote with the mentality of loosing my 6 batch mates and other known brother officers. However, even if you write any thing in reply then we may understand each other's view and learn more which is of course part of democratic process. I would always be sorry for any mistake/ wrong of my writing, if any.        a. My professional comments are backed by my four times experience of commanding two Army Infantry and Two BDR battalions as CO, Handling rebels at Mozambique(1994) and Liberia (2005-6) as UN Military observers for two years, 6-7 years of fighting counter insurgency at Chittagong Hill Tracts, two years BMA basic military training and 25 years military education and training while sensitive comments were due to missing of my so many long term good batch mates and other professional friends together as well as due to the "silent observer's role of many senior officers" who could other wise do/suggest some thing else too. The informations which are written were known by me personaly while talking to other BDR officers and their families who could survive, army officers whom I talked physically.   b. Please, as a responsible citizen of the country, try to help govt agencies and the nation in providing the information/ knowledge/ experience/ suggestion/ idea/ opinin for quick recovery of missing persons/ dead bodies and lost weapons including the proper investigation with a view to take appropriate actions by the appropriate authorities and solve such problem permanently.   c. It is friday and so I have to go for prayer. ay the Almighty Allah bless us all, bless the departed souls, bless the families of departed souls, bless all the security forces, bless the nation Bangladesh.     Regards, Lt Col (Retd) .........(Author prefers to be anonymous) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------