Dismissed BDR members protest at Shaheed Minar with six-point demand

In the aftermath of the Pilkhana massacre, dismissed BDR personnel have begun an indefinite protest at the central Shaheed Minar from 9:00 AM today, Tuesday, demanding reinstatement and addressing six key demands.

Family members and relatives of the dismissed BDR personnel are participating in the demonstration, which is organised under the banner of the ‘BDR Kalyan Parishad’

As of 12:00 PM, when this report was filed, the protest was still ongoing.
Shahbagh police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mohammad Khalid Monsur informed Prothom Alo that the dismissed BDR personnel are staging a protest at the central Shaheed Minar. However, they have not taken to the streets.

The dismissed BDR members and their families have placed six key demands—the verdicts of Sheikh Hasina’s government’s alleged conspiratorial cases must be annulled and all BDR personnel arbitrarily detained must be released; the term ‘except’ and clause-2 in the official statement regarding the commission formed to investigate the Pilkhana massacre must be removed to ensure its independence and impartiality. Additionally, patriotic BDR personnel, who were either present at the site or are victims of the alleged conspiracy (detained but outside prison), must be included in the commission; the perpetrators responsible for the killings of the 74 individuals, both inside and outside Pilkhana, must be brought to justice.

The demand also included—the exact causes of death of all BDR personnel who have died in custody must be disclosed. If their deaths were unnatural, those responsible must be held accountable; all BDR personnel proven innocent through an independent and impartial investigation must be reinstated in their positions, with full compensation and state benefits ensured; the BGB Act 2010 must be repealed and the previous BDR Act reinstated. Furthermore, the name BDR should be restored, replacing BGB, as the latter played a negative role in the 2024 mass uprising. A national day should be established in memory of all martyrs inside and outside Pilkhana.