It was a tranquil morning on February 25, 2009. We were all taken by surprise and shaken to our bones by the ghastly trail of events that unfurled at Pilkhana, the headquarters of the then BDR.
It was a festive occasion as usual, planned and celebrated every year with pomp and show with a lot of spectacular events such as the traditional tattoo show, the annual parade, medal award ceremony, and cultural programs that go on for days. Senior officers from all over the country are called in. There are invited guests as well.
Gunshots silenced that festive mood and turned into a nightmarish grim within moments. Officers were assaulted and murdered in cold blood, houses were ransacked, looted, cars were set ablaze; even family members and guests were not spared from this grotesque killing spree.
We lost 74 lives, including 57 officers, for no justifiable cause.
The nation became numb in such a disastrous blow, in particular the army became baffled and deeply aggrieved. Hearts bled everywhere in all garrisons in anguish without knowing how to deal with it. The whole nation joined us in our mourning. There were unforgettable and heart touching renditions, such as a song composed paying homage to the fallen heroes by Haider Husyn. There were plans to intervene in force and go after the perpetrators. There were meetings and consultations in eery silence amid pent-up grief and agitation.
Tanks and guns rolled out, helicopters went up in the sky, officers and men in combat gear deployed, ready to take on. All eyes remained glued to the television screen to get to know the latest. Media enthusiasts kept a keen eye and taking considerable risk approached and projected the troublemakers and their demand and cravings which might have led to such a heinous misadventure.
The troubled spot being at the heart of a big residential area, considerations were so many and conflicting. More bloodbath, spreading of more violence and disorder could shake the nation even worse.
It appeared that the city dwellers had been taken hostage. Uncertainty prevailed everywhere, with a deep apprehension for further severing and destabilizing the nation. The disorder spread fast to 12 other locations in the country. This was a serious challenge confronted by the newly formed government.
The perpetrators could manage to sneak out of the premises of the hellish compound in the guise of darkness. Though they ultimately could not manage to escape the eyes of the law. Dead bodies were recovered from mass graves inside and away down the drain -- decomposed, mutilated.
Law enforcing agencies took over. Gradually, things were brought under control. A 218-year-old outfit was renamed to get rid of the stigma, and the nation started its long journey in getting justice, which is always said to take its own pace. As of now, a large number of culprits have received verdicts of conviction.
Armed forces and paramilitaries throughout the world are trained to use force to control violence, tackle and overpower forces threatening their outfit, their country, and society. Rank and command structure are inherent in any force dealing with such job.
It is the mutual trust of subordinates and superiors which is the key to a sustainable bonding of any such organization to see them through all thick and thin. They use weapons to achieve assigned missions. But when such weapons are turned against themselves, that becomes the most unwanted, unfortunate, and shameful act for that force.
And if such incidents are so widespread to cause so many lives, it shakes the very foundation of the organization to its core. Coming out of such disastrous situation is not easy when the chain of command collapses and the fabric of cohesion gets mangled.
Think of a young officer in the army entrusted with a group of soldiers deployed in a remote area to maintain vigilance, and assigned with defined tasks to perform. It is personality, wisdom, and tact of the officer that enables him to perform his duties, win confidence, and remain just and fearless with his subordinates.
There is an element of trust which is felt by both the commander and the commanded. The soldiers in many cases may be older than him, having more experience in certain skills, yet they pay complete allegiance to this young fellow. This is because they have conviction in his authority, and the common and accepted purpose of the team.
Thus we find, in the process of discharging his duty, even if the officer needs to be harsh with his subordinates, it is taken sportingly and as part of the profession. There could be discomfort, dissatisfaction, and even some sense of deprivation. There are ways to defuse those in an orderly manner.
In a professional force, it never turns to a situation of pointing a gun at each other.
In the event of such an unfortunate happening as that of the BDR tragedy, the greatest loss is the loss of trust. There could be many other tangible and intangible losses. But this element which is built over a long period of association, tradition, organizational culture, and professional exchange is difficult to replenish.
After the tragic incident of February 25-26, 2009, the government has taken steps to reform the organization and render justice for the wrong committed. BDR has been renamed to BGB. The uniform has been changed.
There were a good number of inquiries to probe into the mutiny who came out with recommendations to address wide-ranging issues. Some notable reforms include force restructuring and enactment of laws ensuring death penalty for mutineers, and also increase of some service benefits.
The BGB Act, 2010 empowers a BGB court to hand down the capital punishment as the highest punishment for mutiny instead of seven years of jail as per the BDR Order, 1972. We only hope the organization has regained its trust among its rank and file.
The affected families have been provided moral and material support by the government to the utmost of its capacity. Many of our children by now are established in their own spheres. Some even have stepped into the military profession following the footsteps of their fathers. The well-maintained graves of our martyrs are green with grass. We visit occasionally to pay our homage to the noble souls we lost. Our hearts still bleed, and we mourn and miss their company.
The life of BGB members is believed to have been eased to a great extent with enhancement of some material benefits. Notable ones are 100% ration, 30% border allowance, two months' annual leave instead of one month, residential facilities for more soldiers, and expansion of treatment facilities.
I wonder if there had been some criteria to measure up how BGB is performing now, having done all the reforms. But one thing puts a big question to it being a deterrent force. The rising figures of unabated border killings definitely point a finger to their efficacy in protecting our citizens, and BGB's ability in dealing with their counterpart on the other side of the fence.
Brig Gen Qazi Abidus Samad, ndc, psc (Retd) is a freelance contributor.