Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member major (retired) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on Tuesday said that the activity of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ‘mysterious’ after the 2009 BDR carnage that left 75 persons, including 57 military officials, killed.
‘Fifty to sixty officials had been forced to leave their jobs at the then BDR as they demanded trial of the killings [in the BDR carnage] in a meeting held with Sheikh Hasina,’ he said in a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka.
Hailing the chief adviser’s announcement to reinvestigate into the matter, the senior BNP leader also demanded reinstatement of their jobs at army and re-investigation into the massacre after forming a commission.
Hafiz said that the killings were carried out to make Bangladesh a failed state. The BDR carnage was aimed at breaking the mental strength of the patriotic Bangladesh army while many top leaders of the then ruling Awami League were involved in the heinous act.
‘The BDR killing took place under the patronage of the head of the then government and the ruling party,’ he claimed.
The then army chief did not help to contain the BDR revolt although it was their duty to do so whenever any mutiny took place. No measure was taken to this end, though the then BDR chief major general Shakil Ahmed informed the then army chief pleading for assistance, he added.
He said that the 46 brigade commander was restricted from helping—to ward off the carnage—despite having a military plan for going to action with armoured vehicles.
Mentioning that several commissions were formed after the killing, those did not act accordingly, he said, adding, ‘The enquiry report of the army into the matter is still in dark.’
He also said that the then Awami League government did not take any measure to probe into the BDR carnage in a fair manner.
The BNP leader also demanded unmasking of the political parties involved in ruining the country’s sovereignty.
BNP standing committee members Salauddin Ahmed, professor AZM Zahid Hossain and adviser to BNP chairperson Ismail Zabiullah, were present, among others.
