Dismissed BDR members stage sit-in at Shaheed Minar with 6-point demand

Members of erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) who were dismissed following the Pilkhana carnage started an indefinite sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar from 9am today (11 February), demanding reinstatement in the force.

They also addressed six key demands during the sit-in, reports Prothom Alo. 

Family members and relatives of the dismissed BDR personnel, which was later renamed as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) also joined the protest under the banner of the BDR Welfare Council.

"The dismissed BDR members are staging their demonstration at the Central Shaheed Minar but have not taken to the streets," Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Khalid Mansur told Prothom Alo.

The sit-in was ongoing as of 12pm. 

The dismissed BDR members and their families called for the annulment of the "conspiracy-driven verdict" by the ousted Sheikh Hasina government and the release of all BDR members who were "arbitrarily arrested." 

They demanded that the commission formed to investigate the Pilkhana massacre function independently and impartially.

They also said BDR members who were present at the scene and became victims of the conspiracy — whether imprisoned or outside — must be included in the commission. 

Lastly, they demand justice for the 74 individuals who were martyred inside and outside Pilkhana.