Govt will ensure justice for deprived members of armed forces: Chief Adviser

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said that the government will ensure justice for members of the Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force who were unfairly subjected to discrimination and oppression during previous governments, just as it does for other government officials and employees.

He made the statement today, Sunday, at the state guesthouse Jamuna, when a committee submitted its report reviewing applications from retired and dismissed officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force who faced discrimination, deprivation, injustice, and retaliation in service between 2009 and 4 August last year, and recommending actions.

The meeting was attended by the committee’s chairman and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Defence and National Unity, retired Lieutenant General Abdul Hafiz; committee members Major General (Retd.) Muhammad Shams-ul-Huda, Major General (Retd.) Sheikh Pasha Habib Uddin, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Muhammad Shafiul Azam, and Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Muhammad Shafkat Ali. Also present was Major General Abul Hasnat Muhammad Tariq, Military Secretary to the Chief Adviser.

The Press Wing reported that the committee received a total of 733 applications. After verification, it made recommendations for 145 of these applications, suggesting that the applicants be granted regular retirement, promotions, pre-retirement promotions, outstanding salary and allowances, and other related benefits.

The committee’s report states that recommendations were made for 114 officers of the Army who faced discrimination and deprivation. It recommended providing them with regular retirement, promotions, pre-retirement promotions, outstanding salary and allowances, and other associated benefits, as applicable. Among them, the committee recommended the reinstatement of four officers.

For 19 officers of the Navy, the committee recommended, as applicable, regular retirement, promotions, pre-retirement promotions, outstanding salary and allowances, and other related benefits.

Similarly, for 12 officers of the Air Force, the committee recommended, as applicable, regular retirement, promotions, pre-retirement promotions, outstanding salary and allowances, and other associated benefits.

The Chief Adviser said, “When I entrusted you with this task, I thought there might have been some minor irregularities, but the full picture you have presented is truly shocking. It is completely beyond imagination.”
At the same time, the committee’s head, Abdul Hafiz, stated that the committee, formed to review the applications, held its first meeting on 19 August. Retired and serving officers who had been deprived were asked to submit applications by 21 September through their respective forces’ boards, the Central Officers’ Record Office, ISPR, the retired officers’ organisation RAWA, WhatsApp messages, print and electronic media, and TV scrolls. For most of those recommended by their respective force boards, there were no disciplinary punishments or complaints recorded in their dossiers, except for a few exceptions.

The committee based its recommendations on the boards’ recommendations, additional appropriate applications, information received, and interviews with the applicants.
Committee findings
According to a Press Wing statement, the committee’s investigation revealed that six officers were illegally kept “disappeared” for varying periods (from 1 to 8 years) on false allegations of their relatives’ political connections or links to militancy—an unprecedented occurrence in Bangladesh’s history. In one case, a retired officer was brutally killed in a staged “militant” incident, and later his wife and their one-year-old child were imprisoned twice for a total of six years without trial on allegations of militant connections.

The investigation also found that several officers who spoke out against the government’s inaction during the horrific BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) killings on 25 February 2009 were falsely implicated in a fabricated case (the Barister Tapas attempted murder case) and subjected to severe torture. Five officers were dismissed from their jobs during the 1/11 caretaker government while serving in DGFI, either on false charges or without any charges.

Some officers had been assigned by the army headquarters to raise questions before the Prime Minister’s court after the BDR killings. Due to disturbances at that court, five officers were wrongly blamed and dismissed without any opportunity to defend themselves. The investigation also revealed that four junior officers (lieutenant rank) were wrongfully dismissed under false allegations of being followers of a particular political group or labeled as militants, simply because they strictly adhered to religious practices and discipline.