BDR members have launched a sit-in protest demanding the release of prisoners convicted in a “sham trial” over the Pilkhana tragedy, reinstatement of all dismissed members with compensation, and recognition of their demands.
The protest began at 9:30am on Tuesday at the Shaheed Minar.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “BDR, not BGB—BDR, BDR,” “Patriotic BDR—back to the border once more,” and “BDR’s home—Pilkhana, Pilkhana.”
For 16 years, the incident has been framed as the “BDR mutiny,” but the protesting members argue it was a premeditated massacre.
They claim that Indian forces entered Pilkhana and carried out the killings, and when BDR personnel tried to resist, the then-government labeled it a mutiny.
As a result, over 9,000 BDR members were dismissed, with many receiving prison sentences.
BM Kamruzzaman, a BDR member from Jhenaidah, said: “Sheikh Hasina destroyed a skilled BDR force to secure her position and appease a neighboring country, replacing it with BGB.”
He added: “We demand the reinstatement of BDR members and the immediate release of our brothers suffering in prison. This protest will continue until our demands are met.”
Al-Amin, the son of a convicted BDR member, said: “My father was sentenced to death without committing any crime. He continued working even after the massacre, but later, while on leave, he was summoned and falsely convicted.”
A daughter of another BDR member tearfully said: “My father was sentenced to death because he refused to give false testimony. Is this the price of loyalty? Give me my father back—I just want to touch him once.”
BDR members from various districts have joined the demonstration, vowing to continue until their demands are fulfilled.
Their six demands:
1. Reinstatement of all dismissed BDR members through 18 special courts and summary courts, ensuring compensation and state benefits.
2. Immediate release of acquitted and sentence-completed BDR prisoners and dismissal of politically motivated cases.
3. An independent and impartial investigation, removal of restrictive clauses in the commission’s mandate, and identification of the true masterminds behind the Pilkhana massacre.
4. Fair trial and punishment for those responsible for the killing of 57 army officers, 10 BDR personnel, and a total of 74 victims, along with investigations into unnatural deaths of imprisoned BDR members.
5. Restoration of the historical name “BDR.”
6. Declaration of a national day in memory of all those killed in the Pilkhana massacre and security assurance for the families of the martyrs.
