Bangladesh commission claims Sheikh Hasina ordered 2009 BDR mutiny killings; accuses India of interference

In a fresh twist in the ongoing saga surrounding Sheikh Hasina, a commission probing the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny has alleged that the former Prime Minister called the shots in the massacre of senior army officers.

The revolt, which began in Dhaka and spread across the country, resulted in the deaths of 74 people, including military officers, destabilising the government just weeks after Hasina took office. Following her ouster last year amid a student-led uprising, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus formed the commission to probe the incident.

Commission implicates Awami League and foreign interference

According to the report submitted on Sunday, Hasina’s then-Awami League government was directly involved in the mutiny. Former member of parliament Fazle Noor Taposh acted as the “principal coordinator” under Hasina’s orders, giving the “green signal” for the killings, the government’s press office said, quoting commission chief A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman.

“The involvement of a foreign force was strongly evident in the investigation,” the statement added.

Later at a press conference in the day, Rahman accused India of attempting to destabilise the country and “weaken the Bangladesh Army” following the carnage. “There had been a conspiracy brewing for a long time to weaken Bangladesh’s forces,” Rahman said.

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Yunus welcomed the report, saying it shed light on the long-hidden reasons behind the 2009 killings. Previous investigations during Hasina’s tenure had attributed the mutiny to soldiers’ frustrations over pay and treatment, but opponents had alleged she orchestrated the revolt to weaken the military and strengthen her own position.