Mirza Fakhrul calls for ‘impartial’ probe into Pilkhana killings

BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for an “impartial” investigation into the 2009 Pilkhana killings.

He made the call on Wednesday after laying wreaths at the memorial for the slain Army officers at the Banani Military Graveyard.

“We pay our respects to the martyrs of the Pilkhana massacre and express our condolences to their families. We demand an investigation into this heinous killing,” Fakhrul told reporters.

On Feb 25 and 26, 2009, 74 people, including 57 Army officers, were killed during a mutiny at the then Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Pilkhana. The incident shocked the nation and drew international attention.

In the aftermath, Bangladesh Rifles was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and structural and uniform changes were introduced.

After the fall of the Awami League government in the July-August 2024 mass uprising, the government decided to observe the day as National Martyred Army Day.

Fakhrul described the killings as a “shameful and disgraceful chapter” in the country’s history.

“There was a conspiracy on that day -- an attempt to dismantle the entire security system of Bangladesh,” he said. “By killing 57 capable Army officers, there was a deep plot to break the morale of the Bangladesh Army and the nation.”

He said the people of Bangladesh had since stood up to protect the country’s independence, sovereignty and democracy.

“Through the last election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has been given the responsibility to run the state. It now has an opportunity to consolidate Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty and to establish democracy,” he said.

Several BNP leaders and retired military officers were present at the ceremony.