The government is committed to ensuring quick trial and exemplary punishment of those who were involved in killings, plunder and murder of women and children in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny, a senior minister said yesterday."There will be quick trial and exemplary punishment... the government is committed to implementing that," LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam told a press briefing at PID conference room last night. This was the first official reaction since the mutiny began at the BDR headquarters in Pilkhana on Wednesday.
The minister said each of the culprits would be trapped and brought to justice. To ensure their punishment, new law would be enacted, if need be, Ashraf added.
He said the government does not have detailed information as many documents have been damaged at the BDR headquarters and those are yet to be recovered.
"The accurate information is not coming. We don't have accurate information about exactly how many personnel were there, how many came for parade and how many attended darbar on February 25," said Ashraf.
"We can't accurately give you information about dead bodies right now. We can't say how many bodies have been recovered so far. Because new graves are being unearthed and bodies are being recovered. But we have the number of bodies sent for post-mortem."
The minister however said the government is trying to retrieve the information. "The government's information has to be accurate. The government cannot speculate."
He said the nation is now in a period of transition. Terming the Pilkhana incident an unfortunate one, he said the nation never thought of it. But it happened on February 25 when the new government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was working hard to implement its pledges made to the people.
"The whole nation is shattered, regretful and angry for this. We strongly condemn and protest such heinous incidents," said the LGRD minister, adding those who are involved would be brought to book.
A probe body has been formed headed by the home minister. The committee will submit a primary report on the basis of which further investigations will be launched to find out all the culprits. "Wherever they hide, they will be traced out. No-one will be spared."
The minister said such atrocities would not have taken place had there been proper trial of Bangabandhu murder case, four national leaders murder case and other killing cases. "If we could exemplary punish the culprits of those killing cases, this incident would not take place," he regretted.
But Ashraf assured that the government will create an example by trying and punishing the culprits of BDR mutiny and the atrocities that followed. "This case will not be delayed like the ones in the past."
On the premier's general amnesty, he said it is not for those who were involved in killings and plunder. "The general amnesty is for the bystander BDR personnel," he added.
He said the whole nation is mourning for what happened in the BDR mutiny.
The government will hold briefing every day to give official information regarding the incident, Ashraf told the journalists.