Since the mutiny renegade Bangladesh Riffles [BDR] troops, a number of private television channels, mostly owned by questioned people started broadcasting various news, commentaries and interviews, aimed at maligning the image of the armed forces of Bangladesh. Most interestingly, only a few reporters of television channels were receiving phone calls from the renegade troops from inside the Pilkhana BDR headquarters. Here is the first question and doubt! How the renegade troops got the mobile phone numbers of those reporters belonging to questioned television channels?
Media patronized lies:
I shall have to address a few points here for my readers around the world. The renegade troops alleged that the Director General of Bangladesh Riffles, Major General Shakil Ahmed Chowdhury [who has been martyred by the renegade troops] was buying edible Soya bean oil for TK. 40 [US$ 0.57] per liter and selling in the market at a rate of TK. 104 [US$ 1.50]. Anyone having minimum knowledge about the world market will agree that, price of Soya Bean oil during the entire period of 2007 [June] to 2008 [October] was above US$ 1,200 per ton. In this case, the import cost of Soya Bean oil was US$ 1.20 or TK. 82.80 per liter. There is 19.50 per cent Value Added Tax and other duties on the import. So the landing cost per liter was TK. 98.88 [US$ 1.43]. Then Bangladesh Riffles purchased the imported edible oil from the local importers [it was not directly imported by BDR]. The importers levied TK. 4-4.50 profit per liter [minimum]. In this case, the BDR director general managed to sell the purchased oil only with a most minimum profit of TK. 0.50 per liter, or may be even less, while in the open market, retail price of Soya Bean oil was above TK. 120 per liter. So, the allegation of the renegade troops was not true at all. Commenting on this, one of the leading oil importers said, it was not possible for the ordinary troops of Bangladesh Riffles to know the import cost etc of the edible oil.
“They must have been briefed and poisoned by any vested interest group with false information to create anger against their officers”, said the importer.
UN Peace Keeping Force:
The question of sending the Bangladesh Riffles troops to United Nations Peace Keeping Force was already raised by the director general on the previous day of the mutiny when Prime Minister visited the BDR headquarters. Government gave assurance of considering the matter with due urgency.
But, now, the way troops of BDR exhibited their arrogance and brutality, should any nation be ever interested in having them in any of peace keeping force? The atrocity and audacity of the BDR troops completely crushed the decade old image of this extremely important institution. Now, it is a responsibility of those troops, who opposed the mutiny to identify those culprits, who were acting at the instigation of the conspirators, thus finally damaging the very image of the entire institution..
On the other hand, it may be mentioned here that, members of Bangladesh Armed Forces attained high acclaim, appreciation and esteem through their excellent performance in the United Nations Peace Keeping Force. Bangladeshi soldiers and officers in UNPKF are considered to be one of the best in the world.
Very unfortunately, Major General [Retired] Fazlur Rahman, who headed Bangladesh Riffles few years back, made quick comments on Wednesday noon, hours after the outbreak of the mutiny, echoing the untrue demand and claims of the renegade troops. It is also important to find out as to why this controversial man was over enthusiastic in joining voice with the renegade troops, with the ulterior intention of giving much instigation to BDR troop brutality. Investigators trying to find out the facts behind should immediately collect the television footage of General [Retired] Fazlur Rahman’s interview with a local television channel. In case of necessity, he should also be interrogated in this regard as to why he was over-enthusiastic in giving a quick reaction with concocted facts.
The investigators, who are trying to find out the back ground story of the mutiny, should possibly put focus on some of the important points.
1. How the renegade troops obtained cell phone numbers of some television reporters,
2. Why the government sent questioned figures like Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam on the spot. Why the state minister for home affairs, who was frequently appearing in the media was not sent. Or, why the home minister was not sent?
3. How the renegade troops managed to hear the call from Mr. Nanak, who were using hand mikes in making appeal to the troops in stopping the firing and sitting with the Prime Minister?
4. How a 14-member delegation was quickly ready to move with Mr. Nanak and Mr. Azam just in several minutes after they entered the BDR headquarters?
5. Why the meeting at the Prime Ministers residence lasted four hours, while the brutality on the army officers and their family members were continuing inside the BDR headquarters?
6. When the Prime Minister announced general amnesty and asked for immediate surrendering of arms, the renegade troops virtually denied the call. In this case, why they were given even the entire night of Wednesday and even half of Thursday to continue the brutality?
One important point should be taken into consideration by the policymakers of the government. Bangladesh Riffles is a paramilitary force. But, they belong to Home Ministry, while officers of this institution are from army. According to normal practice, this should definitely be under the command of Defense Ministry.
Secondly, right after the mutiny at the Bangladesh Riffles headquarters, some of the officers belonging to a semi-military intelligence agency were expressing delight and were trying to provoke the journalists. What was the reason behind?
It is learnt that, a section of extremely corrupt troops in Bangladesh Riffles were becoming increasingly unhappy on the officers as because of those honest officers, the troops could not continue their illegal earnings by making a kind of pact with the cross-border smuggling syndicates.
According to latest report, many of the fleeing renegade troops of Bangladesh Riffles were arrested from different parts of the country. Many of them were fleeing with cash and valuables looted from the residences or residential quarters of the army officers. Does it show that these troops were ‘honest’? They are mere thieves and killers and culprits. They staged the mutiny at the instigation and patronization of a vested interest group with two objectives.
1. Damaging the image of Bangladesh Armed Forces,
2. Creating a complete anarchy inside the country.
Now my next question is where are those 15,000 plus troops, who were inside the Pilkhana BDR headquarters during the massacre? How some of them managed to flee the spot? Why those captured renegade troops are not placed for interrogation immediately?
The entire nation is shocked at the tragic massacre inside BDR headquarters and barbaric murder of the army officers and their family members. Bangladesh is mourning this extremely pathetic incident of the history of this country. But, the trial of the killers and the conspirators should also begin, immediately.
The entire nation is joining at the shock and pains of the family members and colleagues of those brave heroes, who were killed during the mutiny. As a gesture of gratitude, I would like to recommend some immediate measures by the government for the family members of those martyr officers of our armed forces:
1. Residential plots should be immediately allocated to each of the families of the martyr officers,
2. Interest free loans should be provided to them without minimum complications so that the family members could begin the construction forthwith,
3. Government should bear all expenses for education [including higher education] of the children of the martyr officers,
4. A special gate should be erected in Dhaka with the names of all the martyr officers,
5. All the martyr officers should be declared ‘Bir Shreshtha’ [Best Hero] by the government immediately.
We shall never get those brilliant officers of our Armed Forces back. But, we shall hold their memories right inside our heart, for ever!
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