Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday demanded that the government announce February 25 as a ‘national mourning day’ commemorating the tragedy that took place at Pilkhana in 2009. 

“The brutal and tragic killing of 57 army officers on February 25 and 26, 2009 is a very shocking and painful incident for the nation. I on behalf of BNP strongly demand that the day of murdering army officers at Pilkhana be announced as a national mourning day,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

He made the demand at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

The BNP leader alleged that the reason behind the Pilkhana carnage is yet to be unearthed. “Many people have been punished while many others remained untouched over the pre-mediated Pilkhana massacre. Though it was heard that many ruling party men had been involved in the incident, there was an effort to hush it up. The whole episode remained shrouded in mystery.”

Rizvi said their party thinks a high-profile neutral probe body should be formed to unearth the mystery behind the Pilkhana tragedy. “We think sufficient investigation was not carried out in this regard.”

He said there might have been a local and international conspiracy behind the incident to make army, the nation’s symbol of protecting independence and sovereignty, weak.

On 25 February, 2009, hundreds of Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men rose up in armed revolt at Darbar Hall during the three-day ‘BDR Week’ inside the Pilkhana headquarters and killed 74 people, including 57 deputed army officers.

The mutiny finally ended the next day (26 February) with the surrender of the firearms and grenades through negotiation between the government and the BDR rebels.

At a discussion, BNP vice-chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed also said February 25 should be observed as the national mourning day.

Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP) arranged the programme at Shishu Kalyan Parishad auditorium in the city’s Segunbagicha area.

Hafiz said the masterminds of the BDR mutiny are still to be identified. “They need to be put on trial.”

Posing a question, he said, “Why has not army’s probe into the incident made public?”

“The February 25 tragedy was an outcome of an international plot. The local traitors and international vested quarters who had wanted to weaken Bangladesh and harm its defence system carried out the incident,” he said.