"If I see those who viciously bayoneted and shot my husband and other army officers in Peelkhana, threw their bodies into the drain, burned them, dug holes and buried them in the ground, looted our homes, and tortured the women and children of our family by locking them in the quarter guard, those criminals are walking around in front of our eyes with their chests puffed out after being released from prison—then I will think that this country is not mine, not our children, not our army families."
These are the words of Nehrin Ferdowsi, the wife of martyred Colonel Md. Mujibul Haque, who was killed by errant BDR members in Peelkhana in 2009.
Colonel Md. Mujibul Haque was serving as the commander of the Dhaka sector of the BDR at that time. Nehrin Ferdousi told Kaler Kantho on Thursday, 'Mujibul Haque's body was thrown into the drain.
The body was washed away in the drain and ended up in the Kamrangi Char. The body was badly injured. The skull was fractured. There were multiple wounds on the body.
He was stabbed with a bayonet and shot and thrown from the third floor.
He said, "Many BDR jawans have recently been released on bail in the Explosives Control Act cases related to the killing of army officers in Pilkhana. Although they are not yet free from charges, we are saddened and appalled by the kind of joy and jubilation that has been expressed over their release."
"There are also protests demanding the release of those still imprisoned. In this situation, we are concerned about our own safety. We are also receiving threats in various ways."
Shakib Rahman, son of martyred Colonel Qudrat Elahi Rahman Shafiq, said, "Those who have been granted bail in the explosives case, although bail is their right, they cannot be said to be innocent yet. Bail does not mean that they are free from charges."
https://52f681f36084ef84fc051a6aa2487e21.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.htmlSo the way the media is promoting their release on bail as 'victims' of the Peelkhana incident, with sad music in the background, is insulting to the martyrs and very painful for the martyrs' families.
Shakib Mahmud Khan Pritam, son of martyred Major Md. Abdus Salam Khan, also expressed his concerns to Kaler Kantho. He said that the family members of the martyred soldiers are disappointed with the movement demanding the release of the BDR jawans accused of killing 74 people, including 57 unarmed army officers, abducting their bodies, looting their homes and torturing their family members in 2009 in the capital's Peelkhana.
Pritam said, "We cannot accept the fact that those who have been accused, convicted, and sentenced for that crime are claiming innocence and seeking release."
Last Wednesday, members of the families of the soldiers martyred in Peelkhana and the army officers who survived the battle held a press conference at Rawa Club in Mohakhali, the capital, to express their painful feelings.
They said, questioning the sentence of the BDR court means questioning the officers of the patriotic army and the army itself. There is no chance of saying that the accused and convicted errant jawans are innocent and the demand for their release is completely unreasonable. Our sole demand is that justice be established by immediately implementing the deserved punishment of the convicted criminals and freeing the army from disgrace. If proper justice is not served, it is not unusual for the same incident to repeat itself in the future.
Dr. Fabliha Bushra, daughter of martyred Lieutenant Colonel Lutfar Rahman Khan AMC in Pilkhana, presented a written statement at the press conference.
It says, it is a matter of great regret that we have not seen the soldiers accused and convicted in the BDR carnage (genocide) and their families come to the field with any demands for the last 15 years, but today they are trying to introduce a culture of impunity by misleading the nation through a movement demanding the innocence of the misguided soldiers with completely unreasonable demands. Through this demand, an attempt is being made to divert the nation's attention to a different sector, hide the real murderers and question the current student-people's government. This is also an attempt to tarnish the image of the army officers and the army. If these murderers are not properly tried, the same incident will be repeated, which is not at all desirable. On February 25-26, 2009, the most brutal massacre in the history of the world took place in Peelkhana. On that day, 57 unarmed and innocent BDR officers and army officers on duty were brutally killed, their bodies were mutilated, loaded into trucks for burning, brutally mutilated, buried in the ground, thrown into drains and disappeared. The family members of the officers were killed and tortured. Completely unjustly, innocent women and children were dragged and tortured and imprisoned in the quarter guard. Most of the officers who survived were subjected to extreme physical torture, the residences of the officers were extensively vandalized, arson, and theft and robbery were committed. The officers' cars were vandalized and arsoned, and Peelkhana was reduced to rubble through extensive destruction of personal and government property. We, the families of the martyrs and the surviving officers, are eyewitnesses to the crime committed by the errant BDR jawans on February 25-26. Witness the media's photos and videos, which the whole world has seen.
It is also said, 'On that day, there were about 5,000 BDR members and about 4,000 weapons in Peelkhana. The BDR soldiers looted the armory within half an hour, took out all the weapons and used them directly in the carnage. It was not only in Peelkhana that the mutiny took place, but also in rifle battalions and training centers across the country, instigated by errant BDR soldiers.'
