A Bangladesh commission says ex-PM Sheikh Hasina ordered the 2009 BDR mutiny killings that left 74 dead, with accusations of foreign involvement
DHAKA: A commission investigating a violent 2009 mutiny has accused former prime minister Sheikh Hasina of ordering the killings of dozens of senior army officers.
The Bangladesh Rifles revolt resulted in 74 deaths, including military officers, during a two-day uprising that began in Dhaka and spread nationwide.
The mutiny destabilised Hasina’s government just weeks after she took office in 2009.
After Hasina was ousted last year following student-led protests, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus established the investigation commission.
Hasina, 78, has since sought refuge in India, defying court orders to return to Bangladesh.
The commission’s report states that Hasina’s then-Awami League government was directly involved in the mutiny.
Former MP Fazle Noor Taposh acted as “principal coordinator” at Hasina’s behest, with the ex-premier giving the “green signal” to carry out the killings, according to commission chief A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman.
“The involvement of a foreign force was strongly evident in the investigation,” the government statement added.
Rahman later accused India of trying to destabilise Bangladesh and “weaken the Bangladesh Army” following the carnage.
“There had been a conspiracy brewing for a long time to weaken Bangladesh’s forces,” Rahman said.
India did not immediately respond to the accusation.
Yunus welcomed the commission’s report, saying the nation had long remained in the dark about the reasons behind the 2009 killings.
“Through the commission report, the truth has finally been revealed,” he said.
A previous investigation blamed soldiers’ pent-up anger over pay and treatment issues.
That probe occurred during Hasina’s tenure, with opponents claiming she orchestrated the mutiny to weaken the military and consolidate power. – AFP
