Former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members and their families, protesting under the banner of ‘Justice for BDR Movement,’ on Wednesday rejected a mediation proposal from Hasnat Abdullah, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. They vowed to continue their sit-in protest until their demands were met.
The demonstrators began their sit-in on Tuesday at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, remaining there until Wednesday afternoon. Around 12:30 pm, Mahin Sarker, another coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, announced a march towards the Secretariat from the protest site.
Eyewitnesses reported that as the protesters moved towards the Secretariat, they initially gathered in front of the Department of Food. When they attempted to advance further, police tried to disperse them using water cannons. However, the protesters broke through the police barricade and entered the secretariat area.
By 1:00 pm, demonstrators lay down on the road in front of the Secretariat, many wearing symbolic burial shrouds as a form of protest.
The former BDR members and their families have outlined an eight-point charter of demands, including reinstatement of dismissed BDR members, compensation for affected families, release of those they claim to be innocent BDR members still in prison, and identification and prosecution of those they believe masterminded the 2009 Pilkhana massacre.
Hasnat Abdullah, who later arrived at the protest, proposed a resolution through negotiations with advisers from the Law Ministry and Home Affairs within a week.
He also alleged that the 2009 Pilkhana killings were orchestrated by foreign forces with the involvement of Sheikh Hasina. Abdullah further called for an investigation into whether the BDR mutiny was, in fact, a premeditated massacre.
However, the protesters rejected Abdullah’s proposal, reaffirming their commitment to continue their demonstration until their demands are met.
