Inaction of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies led to the 2009 BDR carnage, said the National Independent Investigation Commission formed to reinvestigate the carnage that saw at least 74 people, including 57 army officers, killed.
The commission also found the negligence and failures of intelligence agencies, a biased role played by some media outlets and attempts to destroy evidence of the carnage that took place at Pilkhana, the headquarters of the then Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh), in the capital Dhaka, during a BDR mutiny in February 25-26, 2009.
鈥楢t the time of the carnage, unnecessary delays in the name of political negotiation and inaction of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies allowed the mutineers to carry out killings and other crimes without resistance,鈥� the commission鈥檚 president, retired Major General ALM Fazlur Rahman, said at a press conference in the capital on Wednesday.
He said that despite repeated appeals for help from army officers and their family members trapped inside Pilkhana on February 25 and 26, 2009, no timely action was taken to rescue them.
The commission found evidence suggesting that some political leaders were involved at various levels and the verification of information is underway, he said.
Statements from eight related political figures have been received, some of whom are currently in jail or hiding, the commission chief said.
The commission was formed on December 24, 2024, by the interim government that assumed office on August 8, 2024, after the ouster of the authoritarian Sheikh Hasina regime in a student-led mass uprising.
Replying to a query, Fazlur said, 鈥楾he fugitive Awami League presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and the party鈥檚 organising secretary Mirza Azam provided their testimonies via email in response to official notices published on newspapers asking allegedly involved individuals for testimonies.鈥�
Out of the eight related politicians, three others gave their statements to the commission in person, while three others gave their testimonies from jails, he said.
On December 22, 2024, families of 22 victims of the BDR carnage filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor, accusing deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her defence adviser Tarique Ahmed Siddique, former army chief Moneen U Ahmed and 55 others of crimes against humanity and genocide. AL leaders Mirza Azam and Jahangir Kabir Nanak were also named in the ICT complaint.聽
Fazlur stated that possible foreign involvement had emerged during the investigation, which was currently being verified.
Responding to another query, he said, 鈥楨fforts were made to misdirect the investigation. There was a deliberate effort to link the incident to militancy in order to divert the course of the investigation.鈥�
Asked about the recent protests by the sacked BDR members pressing three-point demands, including reinstatement in service and making the commission more independent, the commission chief said that he was aware of the protests, but would not comment on any sub judice issue.
Fazlur said that the present commission was operating independently.
The commission was initially given three months to reinvestigate the BDR carnage. The time frame later was extended to June 30. The commission has now applied for an extension of the deadline to September 30, 2025 for submitting its full report as the commission will not be able to complete the task by June 30.
The commission has interviewed a total of 158 individuals so far, with approximately 50 more testimonies pending while efforts are underway to collect information from six foreign embassies and the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Dhaka.
The commission also interviewed former officials of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as members of the police and journalists.
So far, travel bans have been imposed on 33 individuals in connection with the investigation.
The commission also called 14 individuals, including the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, to give their testimonies.
The commission reviewed the main report of the court of enquiry formed by the Bangladesh Army on June 11, 2009, and the investigation report of the committee formed by the home ministry on May 11, 2009, in this connection.
