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The Commission, formed to reinvestigate the 2009 BDR massacre, the brutal massacre committed in the name of BDR mutiny submitted its report to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday, noting that then PM Sheikh Hasina had a ‘green signal’ for the entire incident to take place while then MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh played the role of the main coordinator behind.
Chief of the National Independent Investigation Commission Maj Gen (retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman, who was also former director general of BGB, and other members submitted the report to the Chief Adviser at the State Guest House Jamuna.
Major General Md Jahangir Kabir Talukder (retd), Brigadier General Md Saidur Rahman Bir Pratik (retd), Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, Dr M Akbar Ali, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science, Dhaka University Md Shariful Islam, Assistant Professor of the Institute of Education and Research, Jagannath University Md. Shahnewaz Khan Chandan are the members of the commission.
“The nation was in the dark about the BDR massacre for a long time. The nation will remember the role you played in uncovering the truth. On behalf of the nation, I thank you,” Prof Yunus said.
He said the nation had many questions about this most horrific incident in history and these questions will be answered through this work.
Prof Yunus said there are many lessons to be learned from this report. “It will be a valuable asset for the nation.”
Commission chief Fazlur Rahman said the highest professionalism has been maintained in the interest of making the investigation fair, impartial and error-free.
He said when they started the work, many signs of this incident 16 years ago had been destroyed and many people involved in this incident have gone abroad.
“We went through two processes. We called witnesses; we listened to some of them for up to 8 hours - as long as the individual wanted to say. We talked to those who were involved in the investigation. We collected their investigation reports and other elements,” Fazlur Rahman said.
He said through this investigation, answers have been sought for every question in the public mind about the BDR killings, an attempt has been made to uncover who had what role and why the army did not take action.
Fazlur Rahman said the investigation has found strong evidence of the direct involvement of external forces in the BDR killings and the direct involvement of the then ruling party Awami League.
Jahangir Kabir Talukder said about the commission’s findings that the commission has found some external and real reasons for this incident.
He said the killings were planned and the role of the main coordinator behind it was played by the then MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing.
Jahangir said the local Awami League played a direct role in protecting those involved in the murder. They entered Peelkhana with a procession of 20-25 people and when they came out, there were more than two hundred people in that procession.
Jahangir said that Hasina had a ‘green signal’ for the entire incident to take place, according to the press wing.
Regarding the assessment of responsibility for the incident, Jahangir said that the responsibility for the incident lies with the then head of government and the army chief.
A decision has been made to resolve this incident politically. The police, RAB and intelligence agencies have also failed miserably.
Jahangir said that the role of some print and electronic media and some journalists during the incident was unprofessional.
He said that the exact names and information of the BDR members with whom Sheikh Hasina met at the State Guest House Jamuna (the then Prime Minister’s residence) during the murder were not preserved.
The commission made several recommendations in its report so that such incidents can be avoided in the future and the victims of this incident get justice.
The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Dr Khalilur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Defense and National Integration Development Lieutenant General (retd) Abdul Hafiz, and Home Secretary Nasimul Gani.