In the history of Bangladesh, the year 2009, the date 25 February, presents a terrible picture of the military rebellion. There was a military rebellion in the country 16 years ago. Which shook the entire country. Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) rebels had killed more than 50 officers. Besides, common people also lost their lives in this. However, after 16 years, the country’s former PM Sheikh Hasina, who has taken refuge in India, has now come under the scanner regarding this rebellion.
Sheikh Hasina The former PM of Bangladesh is now under the scanner regarding the rebellion that took place 16 years ago. A commission was formed to investigate this rebellion. The commission has claimed that Sheikh Hasina herself had ordered this rebellion.
74 people were murdered
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) was a paramilitary force. On the morning of 25 February 2009, hundreds of dissatisfied BDR soldiers took up arms against their commanding officers who had come from the army. By the end of the rebellion, 74 people were killed—including 57 army officers, 2 wives of army officers, a retired army officer, 9 BDR soldiers, 3 passers-by, a soldier and a policeman.
The insurgency was one of the bloodiest military incidents in the history of Bangladesh since independence from Pakistan in 1971. 47 officers of Bangladeshi forces were martyred in the nine-month liberation war of 1971, while 57 were killed in this insurgency.
Why did the rebellion happen?
BDR had many complaints. Their main complaints included low pay, not receiving promised daily allowances for extra duty, less annual leave than the army, and exclusion from lucrative UN peacekeeping missions.
Once in 2006, a platoon of BDR had worked in a UN mission along with Bangladesh Police, but later the army did not allow BDR to be sent in such missions. This increased anger among BDR soldiers. The issue of ration was also a big issue – the BDR got three months’ ration, while the Army got twelve months’ ration.
BDR soldiers were most angry because the army had complete control over them. The entire officer corps came on deputation from the Army, whereas recruitment in BDR was only on non-commissioned posts (NCO level). The demand of these soldiers was that army officers should be removed from the BDR command and BDR soldiers should be given equal status. No one listened to his words and the angry soldiers took the Director General and other senior officers hostage. Later they were murdered.
The rebellion lasted for 33 hours
This 33-hour long rebellion started on the morning of 25 February from the Durbar Hall inside Pilkhana Barracks. A day before the rebellion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Pilkhana and inaugurated the three-day Bangladesh Rifles Week 2009. In his speech, he talked about eradicating corruption from both the BDR and the army and asked the BDR to be more disciplined and ready to protect the country’s borders.
After the speech, a group of BDR soldiers requested DG BDR Major General Shakeel Ahmed to introduce them to the PM so that they could express their grievances, but DG Ahmed stopped the meeting and the meeting could not take place.
According to witnesses the rebellion began around 09:30 in the morning. When DG Ahmed was addressing BDR soldiers in Durbar Hall. It is prohibited to bring weapons into the hall, but many BDR soldiers had gone inside that morning with heavy weapons. As soon as the firing started, a group from outside also entered inside. The rebels consisted mostly of soldiers and NCOs and deliberately targeted their superiors.
The situation came under control on 26 February
By 09:40 the situation was completely out of control. Many witnesses say that within 10 minutes of the firing starting, many top level officers of BDR were brutally killed. 52 out of 57 army officers were killed in and around the Durbar Hall, while the remaining 5 were killed in other parts of Pilkhana. On the evening of 26 February, the few rebels remaining inside raised the white flag and surrendered. The crisis ended at 7 pm when the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner entered Pilkhana.
punishment given to the culprits
According to a 2023 article by the Global Policy Institute, on March 2, 2009, the government officially filed charges of mutiny, murder, arson and weapons looting against more than 1,000 BDR soldiers. Initially 236 soldiers were arrested. The names of 6 clearly emerged, among whom was the alleged kingpin, Deputy Assistant Director Tauhidul Islam.
When this rebellion took place, Sheikh Hasina was in government. The rebellion not only threatened to destabilize the new government, but also brought the army and the BDR face to face. The incident was so shocking that the government renamed the BDR as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and established an entirely new force.
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