Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to leave the country along with her chair. After resigning from the post of PM, she left Dhaka in a chopper. At present there is no information about where she has gone or where she is going. India has been Bangladesh’s closest ally. After the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, the Army Chief has announced the formation of an interim government. Let us know about the rebellion of 2009, when India saved Hasina’s chair.
In February 2009, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutinied. During this period, a large number of senior military officers and their families were murdered. This proved to be one of the worst massacres of military officers in the history of Bangladesh. Hasina had become the Prime Minister of the country just two months ago and had also kept the Defense Department in her hands. When he felt in danger, he remembered India. Her chair was saved and she was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since 2009.
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When India saved Sheikh Hasina’s chair
As the rebellion escalated and violence escalated, Sheikh Hasina sought help from India. He spoke to the then Foreign Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee. On Hasina’s request for help, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also assured her of help. Immediately after receiving the information, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon spoke to people from America to Britain, Japan and China and discussed Sheikh Hasina’s difficulties.
Following Sheikh Hasina’s request for immediate help, India prepared military resources, including paratroopers from the 6th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. Orders were issued to prepare Indian troops for a possible landing in Bangladesh, with paratroopers deployed at key locations. Indian soldiers were given the responsibility of ensuring the security of Dhaka Airport and the then PM Hasina.
India sent a strong message to the Bangladeshi military leadership. Especially to Army Chief General Moin Uddin Ahmed, and warned that if any force was used against Hasina, India would immediately intervene. After this strict warning, the rebels calmed down and the matter calmed down without military intervention from the Indian side. In the coming months, rumors of a military coup continued to spread and the new government became unstable.
What was the whole matter?
In late February 2009, the Bangladesh Rifles were preparing for their annual three-day celebration, known as “BDR Week”. It was an occasion when high ranking officers and soldiers would meet, discuss, parade and display weapons and celebrate with a big party. Usually, senior army officers used to participate in this program. Sheikh Hasina herself also attended the event, but a day before the massacre.
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The next day on 25 February, the court was decorated, which was considered one of the major events. The program was taking place at the Pilkhana headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles. Pilkhana is a paramilitary cantonment in Dhaka. The top commander of BDR was also present in this program. Weapons were not allowed in the Durbar ceremony, but on 25 February many BDR soldiers reached the Durbar Hall with weapons.
After the program started, the Director General of BDR started talking to the soldiers present there about their grievances. At around 9:30, a BDR member raised his gun and pointed it at the senior army officers present. Immediately after this, other armed soldiers of BDR stood up. During this time, more number of BDR soldiers gathered with weapons and entered the Durbar Hall.
What happened was that a wave of killings began in the halls and barracks, in which BDR soldiers either took military officers hostage, or shot the officers. However, the entire BDR regiment was not involved in this rebellion. It is said that many of them even tried to save senior military officers, and some went into hiding to save their lives.
By the time the rebellion ended, 74 people had been killed, including 57 military officers. BDR Director General Shakeel Ahmed was also killed in these. Apart from the military officers, six civilians including the Director General’s wife and some friends were also killed.