Pilkhana carnage: Forming a committee not possible for now

The hearing in the death reference case regarding the killings at the then BDR (now BGB) headquarters in Pilkhana 25-26 February 2009 is ongoing.

Another related case remains pending in a makeshift court at the Prisons Department parade ground in Bakshibazar area of Dhaka.

As a result, forming a national independent committee, as demanded by the writ petitioner, is currently not feasible due to a conflict with ongoing court proceedings.

This information was conveyed by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs in response to a writ petition seeking the formation of an independent national committee to investigate the killings and atrocities that took place during the Pilkhana tragedy.

Deputy attorney general Tanim Khan informed the High Court bench, comprising justice Farah Mahbub and justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury, about the matter on Sunday.

Following this, the court adjourned the hearing until 5 January next year.

Advocate Tanvir Ahmed, who filed the writ petition, was also present during the proceedings.

A memorandum signed by assistant secretary of the Public Security Division, Md Mofizul Islam, stated that the government is treating the matter with utmost importance, given its national significance. However, as the cases are subjudice, no additional decisions can be made at this stage.

Supreme Court lawyers Tanvir Ahmed and Biplab Kumar Poddar filed the writ petition in October this year, requesting the constitution of a national independent committee to investigate what they described as the “genocide” of 25-26 February 2009, at the BDR headquarters.

The petitioners also called for steps to declare 25 February as “Martyrs’ Day.” 

On 3 November, the petitioners submitted a formal request to the home secretary (Public Security Division) to establish the committee. Subsequently, during a preliminary hearing on 5 November, the High Court issued a directive to the home secretary to dispose of the petition within 10 days and submit a report to the court.

The matter was reintroduced on 2 December, when the state informed the High Court that steps were underway to form a national independent committee.

Deputy attorney general Tanim Khan sought two weeks’ time, leading the court to set 15 December as the date for an update. Following this the matter was revisited on Sunday.