Ring leader of BDR revolt identified; troops launched manhunt

A senior officer of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) was on Monday, identified as the "ring leader" of the bloody rebellion which left at least 73 army officers dead as army launched a massive manhunt to track down about 1,000 fugitive soldiers against whom murder charges were slapped.

Touhidul Alam, Deputy Assistant Director of the BDR, who led a rebel delegation in talks with prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was named as the "main" leader of rebel soldiers. Efforts to track down Alam have not yet yielded results.

"The massacre took place under his (Alam's) leadership... the rebels had accepted him as their leader," said Nabo Jyoti Khisha, the chief of Lalbagh police station where a case has been filed.

Police claimed that they have gathered "enough evidence" against Alam and other conspirators of the two-day mutiny. Among the 73 officers who were killed was BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed.
Mutilated bodies of his wife, Nazneen, and three other civilians were recovered from the mass graves and drains inside the BDR complex.

Seventy-two army officers are still missing.

As police and intelligence investigations got underway in Bangladesh's most high profile case, troops launched a massive manhunt to 1,000 fugitive soldiers blamed for the mutiny.

The Home Ministry put out a notice asking people to inform their nearest police stations immediately if they have any information about absconding BDR personnel.

"We have already gathered enough evidence including the statements of survivors and the process is underway to collect more," said Khisha.

Lalbagh police have filed cases against three other BDR deputy assistant directors and two lower rank soldiers of the paramilitary troops for leading the revolt, taking hostage, setting fire and hiding the bodies of the officials.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered the military to join the manhunt for the mutineers and has also sought help from US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Britain's Scotland Yard for the probe.

Meanwhile, President Zillur Rahman on Monday, led vast gathering of mourners for a mass state funeral for the 49 army officers and one family members slain in the violent mutiny.

Air force jets flew overhead in salute at the mass funeral prayers held at the national parade ground here on Monday.
Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed was also present.

Hasina has already indicated that she plans to form special tribunals to try those who organised the mutiny, which she has described as "planned massacre" that may have received outside help.

Dhaka on Monday, sought US assistance for investigation when the US envoy James F Moriarty met the foreign minister Dipu Moni.

The US envoy assured that Washington will provide the assistance. Moni also said a similar assurance had been given by the British High Commissioner.

Moni, the Daily Star reported, had asked for Scotland Yard expertise to Bangladesh to investigate the mutiny. Meanwhile, the case has been handed over to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police.

The case will be investigated by the senior additional superintendent Abdul Kahhar Akand, the official who was the investigation officer of the murder case of Bangladesh founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The government last night constituted a second enquiry committee into the massacre.

Meanwhile, hundreds of BDR soldiers reported back to their barracks.