Border guard mutiny in Bangladesh

[Singh]

A gun battle rages inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh border guards in Dhaka

One person has been killed and at least six people have been wounded in a mutiny at border guards headquarters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, reports say.

Heavy fighting started at 0330 GMT and is still going on. An army helicopter patrolling above the barracks was fired at, and mortar rounds were also fired.

One soldier was heard addressing the mutineers by megaphone, saying they should fight the army "by any means".

It comes a day after PM Sheikh Hasina visited the HQ to hand out medals.

She is featured in photographs on the front page of some local newspapers, saluting the border guards.

An injured man is carried on a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 25 February 25, 2009
The area has been sealed off

Local media have speculated that the revolt is over pay and working conditions.

There is a heavy army and police presence at the scene, in the centre of the capital. The streets have been cleared and shops have been closed.

There has been no indication that this is a coup, says the BBC's correspondent in Dhaka, Mark Dummett, who is at the scene.

A government source told the BBC that a curfew would be announced later.

Complex sealed

One soldier was heard over a loud megaphone, saying: "Brothers, let's stay together. The army is trying to come in, and we will stop them by any means."

Officials at Dhaka's Medical College Hospital said one civilian had been killed. At least six people have also been wounded, although it is not clear whether any of them are soldiers.

A large plume of smoke can be seen rising above a conference room inside the barracks in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, our correspondent says.

Local media reports say that is where the mutineers have locked up their officers.

Police were not being allowed to enter the complex.

There were reports that troops also stormed out of the complex and seized the nearby shopping centre.

The government is said to have urged the mutineers to lay down their arms.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7909323.stm

 

[A.V.]

A fierce gun battle broke out Wednesday inside the headquarters of Bangladesh's border security force in the capital Dhaka after a mutiny by soldiers against their officers, officials said.

At least one bystander was killed and eight others wounded, medical sources said, as police and regular troops ringed the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles.

"There has been a huge exchange of gunfire at BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) headquarters complex this morning," local police chief Nabojit Khisa said.

Smoke could be seen coming from the complex, with security forces sealing off the area.

"The army has been called in. They have already started moving to the area," said Colonel Rezaur Rahman, the deputy chief of Bangladesh's elite internal security force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

"RAB officers have also circled the whole compound... Gunfire can be heard from inside."

Official sources told AFP that the mutiny broke out while senior officers were meeting at the Bangladesh Rifles' headquarters -- which is home to 3,000 to 4,000 troops -- in Dhaka's Pilkhana area.

But they stressed that the mutiny was the result of a problem within the security force, including demands for higher pay and subsidised food, and was not an attempted coup d'etat.

"It seems to be a mutiny of BDR (paramilitary) troops" against their regular army officers, an armed forces spokesman said, adding the troops had even "fired at army helicopters hovering over their barracks."

In a statement, the Bangladeshi army called on the renegade BDR troops to "surrender arms and go back to the barracks."

"The honourable prime minister (Sheikh Hasina) will herself talk to you about your demand. Any soldiers who fail to give up arms after this announcement will be prosecuted," the statement added.

According to local media, BDR troops are demanding better payment, more subsidised food and more holidays. Reports said the BDR chief, Major General Shakil Ahmed, refused to listen to the demands, prompting the armed revolt.

Several television channels said the BDR chief was injured in the attack, but no official confirmation was available.

The head nurse at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Khademul Islam, said all but one of the casualties were civilian bystanders caught in the crossfire on the streets of the capital.

"At least one person has died and eight were injured, including a BDR soldier -- all hit by bullets in the BDR gunfight. The deceased is a rickshaw puller," Islam said.

Since winning independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has had a history of political violence, coups and counter-coups.

The grindingly poor country was run by military dictator Hussain Mohammad Ershad from 1982 to 1990, before democracy was restored in 1991.

The army again stepped in in January 2007, cancelling elections and declaring a state of emergency following months of political unrest. Democracy was restored with elections last December.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...utiny+sparks+fierce+battle+in+Dhaka,+one+dead

 

[Singh]

DG, BDR killed in the reported gunfight situation is fragile.

 

[ahmedsid]

My God, this is shocking, but I expected something like this. Not too surprising, since a Lot of traitors who hate India hate the Army thinking it made Awami League Win! These guys should be shot!

 

[nitesh]

Complete mess to say at least clearly shows how much these guys lacks discipline.

 

[A.V.]

now beyond dhaka.

DHAKA: Mutinies by members of the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) have broken out in various towns around the country even as BDR violence in A Bangladesh Rifles soldier uses a megaphone to speak from BDR headquarters in Dhaka, on day two of military mutinies across the country. (AFP Photo)
More Pictures
the capital Dhaka was being contained, police and witnesses said on Thursday.

Nearly 50 people were killed in Dhaka as BDR troops fought among themselves on Wednesday after shooting began in their headquarters over a pay dispute and other issues, a government minister said on Thursday.

The mutinous soldiers in Dhaka were laying down their arms on Thursday after accepting an offer of amnesty from the government, but outside the capital there were shooting incidents involving BDR troops in more than a dozen towns, local police officials told Reuters reporters.

"Fighting is raging outside the BDR camp, with troops coming on the street holding up guns and shooting," said a Reuters witness in Sylhet, in the northeast of the country.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. The turmoil underscores the challenges facing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina won parliamentary elections in December that returned the impoverished country to democracy after nearly two years of army-backed emergency rule, and the incident is a blow to her efforts to attract foreign investment and convince foreign aid donors the country is on a path to stability.

Bangladesh, home to more than 140 million people, has had several military coups since independence in 1971, but this week's mutinies do not appear to be politically motivated.

"Nearly 50 people have been killed in sporadic fighting in the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles," Mohammad Quamrul Islam, state minister for law and parliamentary affairs, told reporters early on Thursday, describing the Dhaka fighting.

He said all weapons would likely be surrendered in the coming hours. But officials waiting outside the BDR headquarters on Thursday morning said the process has been slow.

Television channels showed troops handing over Chinese-made automatic rifles, bullets and grenades to Home Minister Sahara Khatun, who visited the headquarters after talks with the rebels.

"The surrender of all the weapons by the rebels may take hours more," a police officer said, requesting not to be identified. "The situation inside (the BDR complex) is calm but tense."

Officials said 50 stranded women and children had been evacuated from the headquarters. Agriculture minister Begum Motia Chowdhury entered on Thursday morning, and she would try to bring out families of army officers and soldiers still stranded there, officials said.

They gave no estimates on how many such people might still be in the sprawling complex, which usually houses 2,000 troops.

Capital calm

No gunfire had been heard in the early hours of Thursday. In most of the capital people were carrying on their daily business as usual.

The mutiny erupted on Wednesday when shooting broke out after enlisted men met officers to discuss a row over pay and benefits and their command structure. They want commanders appointed from the paramilitary, not the army as is now the case.

No breakdown of the casualties was available immediately. There has been speculation by the media and security sources that BDR chief Major-General Shakil Ahmed was among those killed, but there was no confirmation.

The government had responded on Wednesday by sending troops to the BDR complex, and home minister Sahara Khatun held talks with the mutineers' A Bangladesh Rifles soldier uses a megaphone to speak from BDR headquarters in Dhaka, on day two of military mutinies across the country. (AFP Photo)
More Pictures
leaders to defuse the situation, after which the rebels agreed to lay down their weapons.

The shooting on Wednesday spilled onto the streets in Dhaka, killing three civilians and wounding several others, witnesses earlier said. Flames rose from the BDR complex and loud explosions were heard.

It was not immediately clear how many civilians were among the final Dhaka death toll.

Hasina met some of the BDR mutineers on Wednesday in a bid to end the stand-off.

Government minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak said Hasina offered an amnesty to those involved during an hour-long meeting at her residence. One BDR officer said the rebels agreed to surrender their weapons after Hasina promised to meet the group's demands.

The prime minister summoned most members of her cabinet to an emergency meeting on Thursday morning to discuss the mutiny and review the latest situation, a government official said.

Analysts said the mutinies pose a major problem for Hasina in keeping together the powerful defence forces — who have often intervened in the country's politics — and tackle their grievances without risking further discord.

"This poses a huge challenge for the prime minister and her government, who need to be tactful in trying to resolve it," said retired Major General Azizur Rahman, a former BDR chief.

Others said further unrest would adversely affect the country's political stability and efforts to attract investment.

The BDR, whose main duty is guarding the country's borders, is often called in to back up the army and police in meeting other defence and security requirements.

The mutiny broke out only a day after Hasina met senior BDR officers at an annual parade and told them her government would do its best to modernise the paramilitary forces.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-Police-/articleshow/msid-4193329,curpg-2.cms

 

[Vinod2070]

My God, this is shocking, but I expected something like this. Not too surprising, since a Lot of traitors who hate India hate the Army thinking it made Awami League Win! These guys should be shot!

I am not sure it had anything to do with India or hating India. It seems they had long pending demands which no one was paying attention to.

They felt this was the only way to get noticed. For better or for worse.

 

[A.V.]

bangladesh army along the indo-bangladesh border.

POINT to consider.


Bangladesh Army troopers were on Thursday spotted at a few places along the Indo-Bangla border as there are reports of mutiny in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) spreading outside Dhaka, a top BSF official said.

Bangladesh Army personnel have been seen in areas like Netrakona, Mymensingh and some other places bordering Meghalaya and Assam, the official, who has been taking stock of the situation on the borders, told PTI.

The BSF has observed that BDR personnel have apparently pulled out of their regular patrol and surveillance activity following the rebellion in the forces' headquarters in Dhaka, which is feared to have left more than 50 officers dead and was spreading to other areas.

"BDR personnel have not been spotted along the borders. Our personnel have not observed the routine patrolling parties of BDR nor the personnel since noon yesterday," the official said.

The official indicated that BDR personnel might have been confined to their camps.

Fearing repercussion along the international border, BSF has asked its troops not to get provoked by any situation arising out of the clash, even as maximum alert was sounded along the Indo-Bangla border in North East.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Story...ngladesh+Army+seen+on+Indo-Bangla+border:+BSF

 

[A.V.]

we must ceil the entire boder immediately oppurtunists will try to take advantage of the situation.:helpsmilie:

 

[Singh]

we must ceil the entire boder immediately oppurtunists will try to take advantage of the situation.:helpsmilie:

mutineers will try to provoke BSF.... I don't think so they plan to enter India but involve India...

 

[Singh]

Tanks roll into Dhaka as Bangladesh uprising 'ends'

A violent mutiny by Bangladeshi border guards that killed 50 people and threatened to spread across the country appeared to be at an end today.

Hours after tanks rolled into the capital Dhaka and the Prime Minister warned the mutineers that they were on a suicidal route, guards from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) raised a white flag over their headquarters. The Government said that the guards, who were protesting over pay and conditions, had laid down their weapons and surrendered their hostages.

It was still unclear whether the rebellions that erupted elsewhere in Bangladesh were over.

The crisis, which started early yesterday, came only months after emergency rule was lifted and free elections held.
Related Links

It began when dozens of BDR troops overran their headquarters in Dhaka, opened fire on senior officers, seized a nearby shopping mall and took several dozen hostages.

A spokesman for Shiekh Hasina, the Prime Minister, said that the Government had given the mutineers an amnesty and agreed to investigate their grievances.

"All the rebel troops have surrendered with their arms and the process has been completed,” he said. There was no immediate comment from border guards.

Mrs Hasina had told the men to go back to their barracks, adding that she would “do whatever is needed to end the violence”. Most of those who have died in the violence are rebelling border guards.

Local television stations had reported rebellions in 12 of the 64 border districts where the 42,000-strong Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) is stationed.

At a guard post in the southern town of Tekhnaf, guards fired shots at the commanding officer's residence early this morning, forcing him to flee, according to Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury, a police official.

Similar scenes were reported from the northeastern district of Moulivibazar, where the local police chief said: "They are firing indiscriminately… Their commanding officer told me that he has fled the camp."

A witness in Sylhet district, also in the northeast, said: “Fighting is raging outside the BDR camp, with troops coming on the street holding up guns and shooting."

As the crisis escalated, Mrs Hasina made a television address to the country. “Lay down your guns immediately and go back to barracks. Do not force me to take tough actions or push my patience beyond tolerable limits,” she said.

The rebellion is the biggest crisis she has faced since coming to power in December. Her election ended two years of emergency rule imposed on Bangladesh by the army in a bid to to clean up corruption in politics.

The mutineers have stated that they want better pay and working conditions, including the right to join UN peace-keeping missions, for which Bangladesh is the second biggest contributor of troops after Pakistan.

BDR members, who are barred from the lucrative UN missions, earn only $100 a month, less than an army salary, and receive food rations for only three months of the year, compared to a full year for those in the army.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5808639.ece

 

[ahmedsid]

Okay Guys, I am not being Racist or Hateful or anything, Let me tell you that, Majority of Bangladeshis are violent, I mean not Individually, but once they form a gang or get together they are dangerous and rogue. They enjoy chaos somewhat. Individually they are timid and quiet, but in the company of like minded people, they can wreak havoc!

If any mod finds this Hateful, Do delete it ASAP. God Speed.

 

[A.V.]

Nearly 200 mutineers arrested in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Bangladeshi security forces have arrested nearly 200 members of the country's border security force following a two-day mutiny in the capital
Dhaka, a security official said on Friday.

"We have arrested nearly 200 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops who fled their barracks in civilian dress," a spokesman for the Rapid Action Batallion, the country's elite internal security force, said.

"We were given orders to arrest the mutineers."

The spokesman, commander Abul Kalam Azad, said checkpoints had been set up at all routes leading out of the capital Dhaka and surrounding the BDR barracks.

"We are searching buses and trucks for any other rebel troops."

At least 22 people were confirmed to have died during the standoff that began Wednesday. The mutiny ended late Thursday after the border guards surrendered.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rs-held-in-Bangladesh/articleshow/4198782.cms

 

[pyromaniac]

Okay Guys, I am not being Racist or Hateful or anything, Let me tell you that, Majority of Bangladeshis are violent, I mean not Individually, but once they form a gang or get together they are dangerous and rogue. They enjoy chaos somewhat. Individually they are timid and quiet, but in the company of like minded people, they can wreak havoc!

If any mod finds this Hateful, Do delete it ASAP. God Speed.

DUDE...YOU ARE A MOD!!! LOL

On a serious note though, you make a good point but this is only partially due to race. This is mostly thanks to the bad education they receive...they are only taught to hate other races. You will find that an educated population is a peaceful population.

 

[ahmedsid]

DUDE...YOU ARE A MOD!!! LOL

On a serious note though, you make a good point but this is only partially due to race. This is mostly thanks to the bad education they receive...they are only taught to hate other races. You will find that an educated population is a peaceful population.

LOL I know I am a MOD, its just that bro, this is an impartial forum, so if my views hurt anyone, it can be deleted.

Yes, I agree 100%, some people are taught just to hate, even for no reason. But sometimes, I see educated Bangladeshis hate India sooo much, and these guys are the future of Bangladesh? God Save Bangladesh!

 

[nitesh]

But this raises an interesting question, all the time BDR keeps saying that our BSF is killing there people without any reason now this sort of violence clearly shows that to what level they can go for money. All the false news they have propagated should be rechecked and they should be punished.

 

[A.V.]

But this raises an interesting question, all the time BDR keeps saying that our BSF is killing there people without any reason now this sort of violence clearly shows that to what level they can go for money. All the false news they have propagated should be rechecked and they should be punished.

you are exactly right on this nitesh we now can have a clear idea about how the BDR thinks and acts.
i dont think this kind of action is ever imaginable with the indian armed forces.

time to get the facts straight regarding the bdr motives and actions.

 

[Triton]

Bangladesh mutiny ends after tanks enter capital

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Tanks rolled through the Bangladeshi capital Thursday in a show of force that finally persuaded mutinous border guards to lay down their arms, ending a two-day revolt that threatened to spread across the impoverished South Asian nation.

At least 18 people were killed in the insurrection after the nearly 2,000 guards opened fire on their senior officers and seized their headquarters to protest poor pay and conditions.

Read Complete Article here

 

[Triton]

Bangladesh mutineers 'arrested'

Officials in Bangladesh say security forces have arrested nearly 200 members of the country's border security force following a two-day mutiny.

The guards had fled their headquarters in the capital Dhaka, where the mutiny began, dressed as civilians, a spokesman said.

The guards have now ended their mutiny, surrendering their weapons and freeing all hostages.

Watch video & Read Complete article here

 

[ahmedsid]

You know what was the First reaction some of the Bangladeshi Razakars (traitors)??? They squarely blamed India! and they wanted their COAS to quit or something. What are they smoking? I mean, what would India get from inciting a mutiny in BDR? These guys go onto say that India did this to stop the modernisation of BDR!! LoL what modernisation? They are talking like BDR is gonna get their own fighter jets, and navy and that India is scared!