Personnel sacked from the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles along with the families of those, dismissed from the force and imprisoned after the 2009 BDR massacre, blocked the Shahbagh crossing for the second day running on Thursday, demanding the release of all imprisoned BDR members and reinstatement or compensation.
They began a march towards the Shahbagh crossing from Central Shaheed Minar at about 1:00pm and blocked the crossing, breaking police barricades in front of the Bangladesh National Museum at about 1:30pm.
A huge number of police and Armed Police Battalion personnel were present at the spot during the blockade that continued for about two hours, triggering severe traffic congestion in and around the area.
鈥楾he arson at Alia Madrassah makeshift court room seems that fascist Awami League鈥檚 collaborators are still in the judiciary. Necessary reforms have not taken place in the judiciary,鈥� said Student Movement Against Discrimination coordinator Mahin Sarkar while addressing the meeting at the Shahbagh crossing.
He said that they had not seen any visible move from the government.
Giving a two-hour ultimatum to meet their demand, protesters left Shahbagh at about 3:20pm, marching towards Central Shaheed Minar.
They chanted slogans like 鈥楧elhi or Dhaka: Dhaka, Dhaka鈥�, 鈥楤DR or BGB: BDR, BDR鈥� and 鈥楯ustice, justice: we want justice鈥�.
Later in the evening, student leader Mahin Sarkar announced to halt the indefinite sit-in programme at Central Shaheed Minar.
He urged all to go back and conduct mass communication in their areas on Friday and Saturday as the hearing date was scheduled for January 19.
鈥楬uman chain will be formed in front of press clubs in all districts on Sunday,鈥� he announced.
BDR Carnage Justice Establishment Unity convener Abdul Aziz said that they had reached consensus to press a one-point demand for the release of all imprisoned BDR members and their reinstatement or compensation.
He alleged that the BDR carnage was an Indian conspiracy to destroy the border security force.
Meanwhile, opposing the demand for release of all the imprisoned soldiers, Saquib Rahman, son of Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique slain in the 2009 BDR mutiny, said that the demand for a wholesale release was not logical.
Only Subebar Major Nurul Islam out of 8,000鈥�9,000 BDR members protested against the killings when the massacre was perpetrated, Saquib said.
鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to say all BDR members are guilty but BDR members had set bodies on fire, dug mass grave and were involved in hiding the officers鈥� body,鈥� he said.
The BDR members and their families began their protests on Wednesday morning and stayed overnight at Central Shaheed Minar amid chilling cold, pressing for their demand.
Hasan Saiful, a sacked BDR member, said that they were sacked from the force unlawfully.
鈥榃e were not involved in the killings during the BDR massacre. We were punished without committing any crimes,鈥� he added.聽
Md Shakil, a family member of a sacked and imprisoned BDR soldier, said that they were going back to their village following Mahin Sarkar鈥檚 call.
Earlier on December 23, the interim government formed a seven-member commission for reinvestigating the BDR carnage amid an outcry from the victims.
The BDR carnage was perpetrated in February 25鈥�26, 2009, killing 57 military officers, including then chief of the border force Major General Shakil Ahmed, and 17 civilians at the then BDR headquarters in Dhaka city.
