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Families of the victims and survivors of the 2009 BDR Carnage on Monday expressed apprehension that the commission newly formed by the interim government to investigate the massacre might face obstruction in its carrying out a fair probe.

They also said that they did not have confidence in the newly formed National Independent Investigation Commission regarding carrying out the investigation into the massacre carried out at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters Pilkhana in the capital that left at least 75 people, including 57 army officers, killed.

Following the tragedy, the country’s border security force Bangladesh Rifles was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh.

Claiming India and ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s direct involvement in the carnage, they said that the massacre was carried out through conspiracies in which both local and international parties were involved, expressing fear that a fair probe would be challenging. 

They made the observations at an exchange-of-view programme, attended by the commission members and the victim families at the Retired Armed Forces Officers’ Welfare Association in the city on Monday.

Slain lieutenant colonel Kazi Robi Rahman’s younger brother Kazi Oli Rahman asked the discussion why the interim government initially moved to form a mere committee instead of a commission, which he claimed was formed, facing mounting pressure from the victim families.

‘We have information that India is directly involved in the incident. India is creating obstacles to the interim government. Many officials in the government have India bias. Some advisers do not want to make India unhappy,’ Oli alleged. 

Victim families also questioned the legitimacy of the committee members, alleging that one of its members was a follower of the now ousted Awami League regime. 

He said that a truly fair probe might lead many advisers to lose their posts and even the interim government itself might be toppled. 

‘We have reservation about a particular member of the commission. We are the principal stakeholder of the Pilkhana carnage. If we don’t have confidence on the commission, its legitimacy will be questioned,’ said slain Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique’s son, Saquib Rahman.

He said that they could not help the commission in legal aspects but they could provide information.

‘There are many BDR members who died in custody. Many innocent BDR members are imprisoned,’ he said.

He further said that they could not say all BDR members were innocent as only Subebar Major Nurul Islam out of 8,000–9,000 BDR members protested against the killings when the massacre was perpetrated.

Rakin Ahmed, son of slain former BDR director general Major General Shakil Ahmed and Naznin Ahmed, both of whom were murdered during the carnage, said that many people alleged that commission member Md Shahnewaz Khan Chandan, assistant professor at the Institute of Education and Research of Jagannath University, was loyal to the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibir Rahman.

Fabliha Bushra, slain lieutenant colonel Lutfor Rahman Khan’s daughter, urged the commission not to surrender to any pressure or nepotism.

‘BDR killing is not a mere national issue as it has crossed the border…. The perpetrators ranged from highly influential political leaders to grave diggers,’ she said.

National Independent Investigation Commission chief ALM Fazlur Rahman, also a former BGB director general, urged all to give evidence-based information about the Indian involvement in BDR massacre. 

Responding to the possibility of biasness, he said, ‘If I am not biased, members of the commission cannot distort the investigation report.’

He said that they would seek Sheikh Hasina’s extradition to interrogate for the investigation.

‘If India does not extradite her, we will go to India for interrogating Hasina,’ the commission chief added.  

Nehreen Ferdousi, wife of late colonel Md Mojibul Haque, demanded declaration of February 25 as Shaheed Sena Dibas and also declaration of those killed in the carnage as martyrs. 

Colonel Mohammad Abdul Hoque, president of the Retired Armed Forces Officers’ Welfare Association, Bangladesh Club gave the welcome speech at the event.

On December 24, the interim government formed a seven-member commission to reinvestigate the 2009 BDR carnage amid an outcry from the victim families and political pressure.

The seven-member commission is led by former director general of BGB ALM Fazlur Rahman with six other members—retired Major General Md Jahangir Alam Talukder, retired Brigadier General Md Saidur Rahman, Bir Pratik, retired joint secretary Munsi Alauddin Al Azad, retired deputy inspector general of police Dr M Akbar Ali, associate professor of political science at Dhaka University Md Shariful Islam, assistant professor of Institute of Education and Research of Jagannath University Md Shahnewaz Khan Chandan.