Dhaka //

The army stood like Plassey and local and foreign conspirators carried out the massacre in Peelkhana, said Major General (Retd.) ALM Fazlur Rahman, head of the National Independent Investigation Commission formed to investigate the BDR (now BGB) killings. He said, this is not a rebellion, it was a conspiracy to kill officials.

The head of the investigation commission also said, “Those we suspect in the BDR killings, especially Sheikh Hasina, are in India. We will contact the Indian High Commission and either ask them to extradite her or our team will go there and interview her.” Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or directly—whatever is legal for us, we will do.’

Fazlur Rahman said these words at a meeting held at the Anchor Hall of the Rawa Complex in the capital’s Mohakhali on Monday. The ‘National Independent Investigation Commission’ organized this meeting with the members of the families of the martyrs of the BDR massacre. Representatives of the Retired Armed Forces Officers Welfare Association (RAWA), relatives of the victims of the BDR massacre, officers who returned alive and those who were working in the army at the time were present at the meeting.

The head of the investigation commission, Fazlur Rahman, said, ‘We will appeal for cooperation to every martyred family of the BDR massacre. We will also sit and talk to the officers who survived, were harassed, and were dismissed in this incident. This commission was formed 15 years after the incident. A lot of evidence has already been destroyed. Still, we do not want to keep anything a secret. Whatever happens, will be revealed. We will inform the nation about everything through the media.’

The head of the commission said, ‘This investigation commission has been formed in the context of national demands. The government (Awami League government) that we suspect, the nation suspects, behind this massacre has been ousted. I would like to request everyone to have faith and trust in us. This commission is working as a court. So there should be no idea that this commission has no value. This is a national independent commission. The comments and recommendations that we give will be taken into account by the court. We want to ensure justice.’

Regarding the scope of work, the head of the commission said, “We will try to complete the investigation within the three months given to us. Even then, the Home Affairs Advisor has assured to extend the time if there is a need for an extension. This investigation has two parts. One is internal to our country and the other is external. We want to complete the internal matter in the investigation within two months.”

Fazlur Rahman said, “The scope of work has asked us to investigate these two issues. However, it does not mention investigating those against whom cases are being filed, cases that have been filed or those that are under trial. We have written to the chief advisor so that we can work here too.”

At the meeting, the head of the commission said, “I was a commander in the Padua-Raumari war. India was defeated in that war. After that, despite serving for four and a half years, I was dismissed from my job. I do not want to say which government dismissed me, you know. We will try to find out why I was fired.’

Fazlur Rahman said, ‘The government that fired me for defeating India in the Padua-Raumari war is not the Awami League government. The Awami League government removed me from the position of BDR Director General and made me the GOC of 11 Division. I was fired after the change of government. So, no one will be left out of the investigation.’

Calling on the commission to provide information for the investigation, the former BDR Director General said, ‘Many have said that India is involved in the BDR killings, other generals are involved. Just saying it won’t do. Evidence must be presented in support of that. We will ask you to provide evidence. Give us whatever evidence, small, big, important or unimportant, you have. This is a huge investigation. We will go as far as necessary for this.’

The head of the investigation commission said, ‘There have been two national investigations into this incident so far. We will look into them. We will try to find out where there are gaps. I will meet the army chief and seek his cooperation to find out about the situation of the army at that time.’

Lieutenant General (retd) Md. Mainul Islam, the first Director General of the BGB, which was reorganized after the BDR massacre, was the subject of a statement from the relatives of the slain officers at the opinion exchange meeting. In this context, the commission chief said, ‘General Mainul was going abroad. We have stopped his foreign trip.’

Fazlur Rahman said, ‘I understood all the conspiracies that day, imagine the then government involved, India involved, some conspirators there, some politicians in Bangladesh involved. But would there have been a massacre if the army had gone there that day? It wouldn’t have. Plassey has been repeated there. An even more heinous and heartbreaking incident happened in Bangladesh in 2009, when the soldiers stood on the field of Plassey and Lord Clive’s forces snatched away independence. The army stood by and domestic and foreign conspirators carried out this massacre together.’

The former army officer further said, ‘I don’t think it was a BDR mutiny or that soldiers could brutally kill army officers for any demand. We are trying to find out who was posted in the BDR at that time and when. What could an officer do 7 days, 10 days, 15 days or a month ago that would have to be killed. This is not a mutiny, this was a conspiracy to kill officers.’

The commissioner said, ‘Through this murder, the BDR has been weakened, its name has been changed. The army and the country have been weakened. We want to make such a recommendation that an incident like February 25 never happens again in Bangladesh.’

The commissioner further said, ‘We have started work at the BGB headquarters. We have not been provided with any security or vehicles. However, I want to assure you that even if these are not provided, we will complete this investigation. The investigation commission will evaluate the statements. We will try to bring up where, who or which country was helped. I hope we will be able to present this investigation report to the nation in a short time.’

The commission chief said that it will be recommended that the day of the BDR massacre be observed as the Day of Martyrs, and that Haider Hossain’s song “Katotuku Ashroo Gorale Hridoy Jalre Sikto?” be sung as a national anthem on February 25 and 26 at all places of the BDR. We will not leave any issue out of sight.’

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