Staff Correspondent

The government today announced a seven-member national independent investigation commission led by former director general of BGB A L M Fazlur Rahman to re-investigate into the BDR massacre at Pilkhana on February 25 and 26, 2009.

The Cabinet Division published a gazette notification to this end.

The six other members are - Maj Gen Md Jahangir Alam Talukder (Retd), Brigadier General Md Saidur Rahman, Bir Pratik, (Retd), retired joint secretary Munsi Alauddin Al Azad, retired DIG Dr M Akbar Ali, Md Shariful Islam, Associate Professor of Political Science Department of Dhaka University, Md Shahnewaz Khan Chandan, assistant professor of Institute of Education and Research of Jagannath University.

The commission has been asked to submit its report within 90 days from the publication of the notification.

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd) on Monday announced the formation of the commission while speaking at a function at BGB headquarters on the occasion of BGB Day.

The notification said, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court has directed for forming a National Independent Investigation Committee upon a writ petition to conduct a re-investigation into the barbaric massacre committed in the name of the BDR mutiny at the then BDR headquarters, Pilkhana, on February 25 and 26, 2009.

Therefore, the government, as per the Section 3 of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1956 (Act No. VI of 1956), has constituted a National Independent Commission of Inquiry to uncover the nature of the domestic and foreign conspiracies and actual events involved in the massacre that took place on February 25 and 26, 2009 at the then BDR Headquarters, Pilkhana, in the name of the BDR mutiny, and to identify the criminals, conspirators, accomplices, destroyers of evidence, perpetrators of the incident and other issues related to the carnage.

The terms of reference of the National Independent Commission of Inquiry shall be as follows:

To uncover the nature and nature of the incident that took place on February 25 and 26, 2009 at the then BDR Headquarters, Pilkhana; Identifying the perpetrators, conspirators, destroyers of evidence of the incident, instigators and other related matters, including domestic and foreign criminal individuals,groups/organizations/institutions/departments/organizations. of the murders and other crimes committed during the incident; Uncovering the nature of other crimes committed during the murder and before/after the murder in the said incident, identifying the responsible individuals/groups/organizations/institutions/departments/organizations, and determining the involvement of other domestic and foreign individuals/groups/organizations/institutions/departments/organizations who diverted the incident or helped in causing the incident and identifying the culprits; Identifying the dividuals/groups/organizations/institutions/departments/organizations responsible for failing to take action to prevent other crimes committed including the murder; and (e) Inclusion of the actual criminals who have not been included in the relevant cases, while keeping intact the liability/crime of the accused in the relevant cases.

The Commission may visit any place in Bangladesh and summon and interrogate any person suspected of committing the crime.

The Public Security Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs shall provide all kinds of assistance including secretarial assistance to the Commission of Inquiry and shall meet the necessary expenses of the Commission and may assign any person engaged in the service of the Republic to assist the Commission.

The Head and members of the Commission shall receive the official rank, salary/honorary allowance and facilities determined by the Government; Provided that if the Head or any member of the Commission wishes to perform his duties without pay or does not wish to receive such facilities, he may obtain the approval of the Honorable Chief Advisor to the Interim Government.