Advocate Saquib Rahman, son of slain Colonel Quadrat Elahi Rahman Shafique, has hinted at lodging a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) within two weeks to ensure justice for the ‘hidden conspirators’ and to unearth the ‘truth’ behind the Pilkhana tragedy that took place 15 years ago.
Advocate Saquib revealed this information during a press briefing held at Rawa Hall in Mohakhali, where he spoke on justice for the 74 victims, including 57 officers, who were killed during the Pilkhana massacre, and to mark the day as ‘Martyrs` Day’ for the slain soldiers.
He said that the trial proceedings of the BDR Mutiny case have been pending in the Appellate Division for the past 15 years, and that they were unaware of any recent developments in the case, adding that no one had made any contact throughout this prolonged period.
“We, the victims, have no idea about the status of the case. Then, how will the people of the country know?” he questioned.
“Our plan of action is to lodge a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal within the next two weeks. We hope the government will ensure the safety of the families of the martyrs, as we lodge complaints against those who were in power during the previous government,” Saquib said.
Advocate Saquib also named several people, including Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Sheikh Fazlul Karim, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Mirza Azam, in connection with the incident.
He suggested that Sheikh Hasina could be held accountable under the Doctrine of ‘Command Responsibility’ as per international law, as she was the head of the Defence Ministry at the time. “We’ll lodge a complaint against her, the then army officers, and especially the DGFI officers.”
Saquib hinted at lodging complaints against journalists who misinterpreted the incident.
Meanwhile, Rakin Ahmed, the son of Major General Shakil Ahmed, demanded that those responsible for the Pilkhana massacre be brought to justice following a thorough investigation.
Rakin also called for the declaration of Pilkhana Massacre Day as Martyrs` Day, stating, “If the perpetrators are punished, all the people of the country will stand by us. Specific measures must be taken for those who were removed from their jobs for seeking justice for the killings.”
He demanded justice for the murder of Chattogram lawyer and the arrest of those involved in the attempt to kill Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam.
Nahrin Ferdousi, wife of slain Colonel Mujibul Haque, also made several demands during the press briefing. These included the declaration of February 25 as Martyr Army Day through a gazette before February 2025, the lowering of the national flag to half-mast on that day across the country, the renewal of investigations into the Pilkhana killings, the provision of updates to the victims of the Pilkhana tragedy regarding the progress of the proposed inquiry commission, and the release of all investigation reports to the public.
She called for the 57 slain army officers to be honoured as ‘Martyrs’, the inclusion of the Pilkhana tragedy in school textbooks, and the ensuring of justice for all those innocent individuals arrested in connection with the case, following the disposal of the case.
On February 25, 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) personnel staged an armed revolt at the Darbar Hall of the force’s Pilkhana headquarters during the three-day "BDR Week."
A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the massacre that began on this day.
The mutiny ended the following day (Feb 26) after a negotiation between the then government and the BDR rebels, which resulted in the surrender of firearms, ammunition, and grenades.
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