Former Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) members and their families, demonstrating under the banner of ‘Justice for BDR Movement,’ have refused a mediation offer and pledged to continue their protest in Dhaka until their demands are addressed.
The protest began on Tuesday at the Central Shaheed Minar, with participants maintaining their sit-in until Wednesday afternoon. At around 12:30 PM, Mahin Sarker, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, announced a march towards the Secretariat from the protest site.
As the demonstrators moved forward, they gathered near the Department of Food. When they attempted to advance further, police intervened with water cannons to disperse them. Despite this, the protesters breached the barricade and entered the Secretariat area.
By 1:00 pm, many protesters had staged a symbolic demonstration, lying on the road in front of the Secretariat, some wrapped in burial shrouds to emphasize their demands.
The former BDR personnel and their families have presented an eight-point demand, which includes reinstatement of dismissed members, compensation for affected families, release of those they claim were wrongfully imprisoned, and prosecution of individuals they hold responsible for the 2009 Pilkhana massacre.
Later, Hasnat Abdullah, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, proposed a resolution through negotiations with government advisers within a week. He alleged that foreign forces were involved in orchestrating the 2009 killings, implicating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the incident. He also urged authorities to investigate whether the BDR mutiny was a preplanned massacre.
However, the protesting ex-BDR members firmly rejected the proposal, reaffirming their commitment to continue their demonstration until their demands are met.
