The BDR Shooting: Aftermath

While things have nearly completely settled down from a military stand point, it is clear that the ramifications of this horrific episode are only beginning.

It now appears that a total of 76 people have been found dead or are still missing and in all likelihood dead. This is down from the previous and more grim prediction of up to 145 murdered soldiers and family members. The original prediction from local workers at the school was 100. Soldiers have been working to remove bodies from mass graves and the local sewer system since they gained access to Rifles Square on Saturday.

Yesterday there was an emotional funeral at the national cemetery for the fallen soldiers, and February 27-March 1 has been declared a three-day national holiday of mourning. The government also announced that the families of the fallen would receive extra monetary compensation from the government and that all of their children would be allowed to attend an academy for free.

Luckily, the police who seemed to sense an opportunity to advance their own position during the turmoil have been discouraged by the sense of national unity that the atrocity created.
If there was indeed a “grand scheme” aimed at disrupting the new government’s opening days in power, it has almost certainly failed. By allying the army with the Awami League led government, the attack galvanized two forces that have not always seen eye to eye. A special operations soldier told me that traditionally, the BNP and army have had the better relationship. In Bangladesh, it’s all about trust, and this is a major opportunity for the Awami League to cement a position as a trusted government, one that could possibly advance some positive change in these parts.

A ransacked apartment within Rifles Square

The BDR soldiers who surrendered have claimed either non-involvement or that they were coerced into participation by the “20-25 soldiers” who initiated the attack. This seems rather unlikely, as thousands of soldiers were inside the compound when the attack took place. On the other hand, if you want to form a mob, Bangladesh is the place to do it. It almost seems plausible. More troubling than the fact that it will be extremely difficult to sort out who really was leading the slaughter will be answering how boats new to arrive at Rifles Square to evacuate BDR members, and where the advanced weaponry found on some of the soldiers originated.
In typical dignified and mature fashion, Bangladesh national politics has turned this into a thinly veiled blame game. The BNP led opposition party wants to know why the new government (that has been in power for two months after the BNP had lead for the 5 years prior to the military government’s reign) was not able to detect and stop the violence. Khaleda Zia also criticized Hasina’s choice to negotiate with the mutineers. Hasina responded to such charges by noting that this was an organized operation, and it certainly wasn’t the Awami League that planned it.

A BDR soldier hands over his weapon to an Army investigator. The manholes are open as part of the investigation

Grabbing headlines in the last couple days was Hasina’s announcement that she had requested the help of the American FBI as well as Scottland Yard in the nascent investigation, accurately termed “Operation Rebel Hunt.” ORH will be focusing on areas to which the rebels who did not report to base might have fled, mainly low income areas. However our local staff has been advised to carry ID as they will also be checking out Baridhara (where the school is). I saw some Rapid Action Battalion members rolling around in a big truck today, but no one on foot.
As far as the FBI goes, I would be a bit surprised to see too many American wingtips on Bangladeshi soil; at least it seems less likely than the UK, which has a larger percentage Bangladeshi population showing up. On the other hand, Dhaka is lovely this time of year.

It remains to be seen whether Hasina handled this crisis well, but I have to say I am pretty impressed. Although her choice to negotiate may have allowed the BDR mutineers to construct the gruesome mass graves, certainly it prevented the real danger of significantly more violence. It is hard to believe that the army would not have gone in guns-a-blazin’ after so many officers were shot in cold blood.

Apprehended BDR members who did not report back to base as Hasina requested.

The special operations soldier I mentioned earlier, a kinetic and quick witted man in his late twenties from Atlanta, was certainly eager to get in there and do some investigating before Hasina had completed the negotiations. His sentiment seemed to be “we’re here, this is exactly what we’re trained to do, let us do our jobs.” The decision was to let the local government handle it, and in the end that seems to have been the right one. Hasina eventually told the BDR members that amnesty would be granted for those who did not “spear head,” and if they didn’t take that they would feel the full street-justice dispensing force of Bangladesh’s army.

As far as my travel restrictions are concerned, we received an email today from the Regional Security Officer stating that the situation “remains fluid,” though things may be congealing as the RSO has not made any updates in the past few days.

I will be watching to see if this incident issues in an era of reform so desperately needed of the new government. Just as Bangladeshi’s drive with their “brights” on all of the time, the government is riddled with bizarre, annoying, and unproductive policies. For example, the BNP led opposition stormed out of parliament yesterday when their eulogies were not broadcast as their Awami League counterparts’ had been. The BNP sited this incident as an indication that the Awami League will be not be a neutral investigatory force, perhaps trying to prepare for any suspicion the BNP could fall under. In response to the broadcast complaint, BTV, the local station, stated that they were still operating under the opposition broadcast policy that the BNP had put in place six years ago.

There's a quick lesson in democracy for you.