Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Nov 5, 2024 (BSS) - The High Court (HC) today issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to dispose of a petition within 10 days seeking formation of an independent investigation commission to unearth the truth behind the carnage inside the Pilkhana BDR headquarters on February 25 and 26 in 2009.
 
A HC division of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury issued the rule upon a writ petition filed by two Supreme Court (SC) lawyers seeking its directive on the government to constitute the commission and the court fixed November 24 for next hearing.
 
SC lawyers Md Tanvir Ahmed and Biplab Kumar Poddar filed the petition as a public interest litigation on October 20.

In the petition, they also prayed for a HC order on the authorities concerned to declare February 25 as "Shaheed Sena Dibos (martyred soldier day)".

SC lawyer Tanvir himself moved the petition which was seconded by another lawyer Biplab while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan stood for the state.

During his submission before the court, Tanvir said no investigation report about the culprits and masterminds behind the massacre in Pilkhana was published nationally.

After the fall of the Awami League (AL) government on August 5, the families of the victims and former army officers have been giving new information about the massacre.
 
He said some people have claimed that the investigation was not conducted in a proper manner.

"In the given context, we have submitted a petition to the Home Ministry on November 3, requesting formation a national independent investigation commission and declaring February 25 as 'Shaheed Sena Dibos," he said.

The carnage inside Pilkhana headquarters of the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), now Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), took place on February 25-26, 2009, in which 74 people, including 57 army officials, were killed.

A Dhaka court on November 5, 2013, handed down death sentences to 150 BDR members and two civilians, and life imprisonment to 160 others in connection with the murder case. A total of 256 people, mostly BDR soldiers, were handed jail sentences and 278 others were acquitted.

The HC later pronounced its verdict on November 27, 2017, confirming the death penalty of 139 persons and life term to 185 others. Some 228 accused were awarded different jail terms and 45 others were acquitted of charges.
 
The state has filed leave to appeals (permission for filing appeal) against 83 accused who were acquitted of the charges or which punishments were commuted.

In the largest-ever case in the country's history, BNP leader and former lawmaker Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu was made accused. He later died in the jail.