Former BDR members hold sit-in at Pilkhana for job reinstatement

Former members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), now Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), who were dismissed following the 2009 Pilkhana massacre, have staged a sit-in demonstration outside the frontier security force's headquarters in Dhaka, demanding their jobs back along with compensation.

The protest began around 10:30am on Sunday as dismissed BDR members and their families started gathering near the main gate of the BGB headquarters in Pilkhana. By midday, more than 300 people had assembled, occupying the sidewalk across the road from the gate.

In response, a large number of police personnel were deployed to the area, along with members of the army and BGB.

“They are stationed on the footpath across from the BGB gate, near the lake. We are trying to start a dialogue with them. Traffic in the area remains normal,” said Dhanmondi Police Station chief Kyashainu.

Tareq Aziz, one of the dismissed members, said: “This is a peaceful protest. We are not here to cause unrest or disruption. We have only one demand -- to be reinstated in our jobs and to receive fair compensation for the injustice we’ve suffered.”