Former DG Mainul was questioned for 3 hours.
Former Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Lieutenant General (retd.) Md. Mainul Islam was questioned for 3 hours. The investigation commission formed to investigate the Peelkhana killings questioned him from 11 am to 2 pm yesterday. The commission head, former Director General of BDR (now BGB) ALM Fazlur Rahman, and other members of the commission were present at the time. This information was learned from relevant sources.
Mainul Islam became the Director General of BDR after the Peelkhana killings. Later, when the force was renamed as BGB, he became the first DG of the force. Mainul Islam was also a member of the National Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs formed to investigate the mutiny and killings in Peelkhana. The members of the investigation commission wanted to know the answers to several questions from him. He spoke about this. On December 24, he was returned from Shahjalal Airport on his way to Canada. He is accused of destroying evidence after the Peelkhana killings.
According to the sources, the investigation commission has sent a letter seeking the report of the Home Ministry’s investigation committee formed after the Peelkhana massacre and the report of the Army Investigation Committee. After receiving these two reports, the commission will review them. In addition, the commission has started taking statements from army officers who survived the Peelkhana tragedy. It will talk to some imprisoned BDR members. It will also take the statement of former army chief Moin U Ahmed, who is stationed abroad. The investigation commission will want to know why an army operation could not be carried out quickly after the mutiny, who stopped him.
In addition, the investigation commission will question imprisoned former minister Farooq Khan. He was responsible for coordinating the report of the Home Ministry’s investigation committee and the report of the military inquiry court led by Lt. Gen. (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. It is alleged that Farooq Khan did not allow many information to be included in the Home Ministry’s investigation report in the name of coordinating the two reports. The term of the National Investigation Committee formed by the Home Ministry was extended four times in the name of coordination to hide information about the masterminds behind the murder. At that time, questions were raised from various quarters about this. It is learnt that the investigation commission will also question him on these issues.
In addition, after the BDR mutiny in Peelkhana on February 25, 2009, local Awami League leaders and activists took out processions in front of various gates of Peelkhana in support of the BDR jawans who took part in the massacre. The investigation commission is also trying to find out who took out the procession and who led the procession. In addition, the army investigation committee called several Awami League leaders at that time, including Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mirza Azam, to take their statements. But most of them were not allowed to go to the investigation committee at that time. Again, those who did go were not allowed to ask questions. It is learnt that the commission will talk to the army investigation committee to find out who or who stopped them. The investigation commission is also trying to find out why the then administration did not take action in this regard despite receiving advance news of the mutiny.
Brigadier General (Retd.) Mohammad Hasan Nasir was a member of the National Committee formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He told our time yesterday, the members of the first investigation committee tried to influence the investigation committee in various ways. They started joking in the name of investigation. Then we, the army members, started taking the investigation forward. At one stage, I was kept inactive in the investigation after getting sensitive information in the investigation. I was called only to sign. I was asked to sign the investigation report after preparing it. First, ten blank pages were brought for signing. I did not sign. After that, only one copy was prepared and asked to sign. I did not have the opportunity to see the entire report while signing. I gave a note of dissent.
During the rebellion, Awami League leaders and activists raised slogans in favor of the BDR in front of BDR Gate No. 3. In this regard, Hasan Nasir said, this was mentioned as long as I was in the investigation. The issues of raising slogans were mentioned.
Before the Peelkhana massacre, a group of BDR jawans held meetings with Barrister Taposh. He was given a leaflet with demands. But efforts are also underway to find out why Taposh did not ask the Home Ministry to take action in this regard. Barrister Taposh fled abroad before the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 last year due to the student-public movement.
74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the BDR mutiny and the brutal massacre in Peelkhana. 48 hours later, Mainul Islam took over as the director general of the force. After the bloody mutiny of February 25 and 26, the name of the Border Guard Force was changed, and the uniforms were also changed.
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