A disgruntled group of killers has shown their extreme brutality by killing a number of army officers in the name of a so-called mutiny. It is heart-breaking to watch the news of the killings of so many low to high-level army officers. The heart becomes heavy to see the widows, sons, and daughters of those who have been killed by the criminals. The killers were so ruthless that they did not spare the family members and relatives of the unarmed army officers. These killers started their operation with a killing spree to annihilate those who were their commanders. It is now certain that a notorious group planned to break the chain of command and create conflict and chaos in the armed forces. At this stage, it is a great relief that these people were not able to succeed to create the conflict and chaos that they wanted. It can be anticipated that the conspirators will not give up their evil design so easily. We heard and watched in TV that the Prime Minister and others are aware of the continuing conspiracies in Bangladesh.
As it appears from the news reports, there must be a powerful quarter that patronized and provoked the killers to destabilize the country by killing so army officers ranking from Captain to Major General. In this type of situation, the conspirators behind the scene generally try to fish in troubled water. If there were political conspirators behind the heinous killings and if they could able to succeed, then they would have tried to fulfill their political goals by capturing power. Once they would have consolidated their power after killings, then the conspirators would have glorified the events of killings as a kind of Sepahi-Janata Biplob (soldier-people revolution). Any such attempt based on any deep-rooted political conspiracy has been foiled so far. During November 3-7, 1975, in the name of Sepahi-Janata Biplob, many army officers were killed by the conspirators only to capture power. The target at that time was the army officers. The killers at this time have also targeted the officers and even their near and dear ones. The sadist killers have committed inhuman crimes by killing the unarmed officers and their family members and relatives. They tried to create confrontation and conflict in the armed forces of the country. But it is commendable that the Bangladesh army showed extreme restraint even after the loss of so many of their fellow officers.
The heinousness, ferocity, and ruthlessness of the killers have stunned the whole nation. The killers initially tried to get public support by spreading lies about their demands and fabricating stories of shots fired by the Director General. Some leaflets were distributed on the streets highlighting their demands and deprivation. It reminds us of the leaflets distributed by the conspirators in early November 1975. The leaflets at that time were used to befool the public. Their attempt this time to befool the people and create mistrust and conflicts in the armed forces has not worked. After all, the people of Bangladesh including the armed forces are more aware of the safety, security, stability, and progress of the country. It is my belief that the conspirators will not be able to create similar events as they did in 1975.
All the news reports reveal that the act of a small group of criminals was not a mutiny. It was a heinous crime with animalistic madness. All these killers should be brought to justice within a short span of time. Indeed, it is a great loss for a small country like Bangladesh. For the families and friends, it is an irrecoverable loss. No words can really ease the loss of their near and dear ones. Just words are inadequate to express the sadness we feel right now. Eventually, the sadness we must overcome through our resolve to punish the killers, conspirators, and their masterminds.
Dr. Shabbir Ahmed is an Engineer writes from USA. He can be reached at shabbirahmed2000@yahoo.com