Tributes paid to martyrs of 2009 Pilkhana tragedy
Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury marked Martyred Army Day today by paying homage to military officials who were killed during the 2009 BDR mutiny in Dhaka's Pilkhana.
He paid tribute by placing a floral wreath at the Banani Army Graveyard. Chiefs of Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force also paid homage to the martyrs.
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Speaking to the media after paying tribute, the home adviser said, "Families of the military officials martyred in Pilkhana had long demanded that February 25 be declared as Martyred Army Day, and we have now implemented it."
"In the Pilkhana incident, the verdict of the murder case was delivered. Many of those who were acquitted in that case are accused in explosives cases. The murder case is now under review at the High Court," he said.
Replying to a question, he said that the testimony in the explosives case remains stayed and is not in their hands. The decision to grant bail rests with the court.
Tributes to the martyrs were also paid on behalf of Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion.
Moreover, family members of the martyrs placed floral wreaths at the graves, observed a one-minute silence, and prayed for the salvation of the departed souls.
On February 25, 2009, several hundred mutineers of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), now Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), launched an armed rebellion at the Pilkhana Darbar Hall, brutally killing 74 people.
Among the martyrs were 56 valiant army officers, including the then BDR chief, Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed. Their sacrifice remains a dark yet solemn chapter in the nation's history.
On February 23 this year, the government decided to observe February 25 as National Martyred Army Day, honoring the supreme sacrifice of army officers who lost their lives in the tragic Pilkhana incident.
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