Pilkhana carnage anniversary today

Staff Correspondent: The ninth anniversary of the carnage at Pilkhana BDR Headquarters in Dhaka is being observed on Sunday with holding several programmes.

The tragic and brutal incident that took place at Pilkhana on February 25 in 2009. It is a black chapter in the history of Bangladesh. A total of 74 people including 57 army officers were killed in the carnage.

On February 25, 2009, some soldiers rose up in armed revolt at Darbar Hall in Dhaka's Pilkhana. They opened fire aiming army officers at the Darbar around 9:27am and killed couple of officers instantly. Later, the mutineers kept hostage of family members in Pilkhana headquarters and took control of the all entry gates. Finally, the bloody mutiny finally was finished after 36 hours with the surrender of the firearms, ammunition and grenades through negotiation.

Following the incident, the organizational structure of BDR collapsed. Later, the government reshuffled the paramilitary forces and renamed it as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

On November 5 in 2013, a trial court sentenced death penalty to 152 members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) for killing 74 people including 57 army officers during the carnage.

Mohsin Reza, Public Relation Officer at the BGB Headquarters, said Pilkhana Carnage Day to be observed to commemorate those brutally killed inside the BDR headquarters during the mutiny in 2009. Floral wreaths will be placed at the graves of the slain army officers at Banani Military Graveyard on behalf of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Besides, on Monday (February 26), special prayers will be offered at the Bir Uttam Fazlur Rahman Khandkar Auditorium inside the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Pilkhana headquarters, seeking divine blessings for the departed souls.


risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 24, 2018/Nur/Nasim