More details emerge of the last minutes

"No fire on own people" was the spirit expressed by young army officers in the 3 August crucial meeting with their chief. General Waker-uz-Zaman, the chief, vowed more precisely: no fire from now on.

The spirit and the decision ultimately pave the way for resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina within 48 hours on 5 August.

Bangladesh media had own gatherings on the much anticipated meeting of the army chief with his rank and file, but could not report much of the outcomes due to years-old practice of not reporting on defense matters if not anything from the ISPR (Inter Service Public Relations).

There was also a restrictive so-called advice from an agency, originally designated for intelligence gatherings for the state's independence and sovereignty, but had become one of the major repressive tools of the immediate past regime.

The agency had asked not to write or broadcast a single word on the meeting other than the ISPR press release.

If not directing anything, the release however had a clear indication on army's stance in the turmoil situation as it quoted army chief as saying "Bangladesh Army will always stand by the people in their interests and in the state's needs."

Upset by the ISPR press release, the agency asked media, especially private television channels, not to go by the phrase "stand by people".

Not all, but several electronic media abided by the directive and omitted the words "stand by people" from their breaking news tickers. 

The ISPR press release had highlighted a few lines on the chief's statement, but there were more gathered by TBS at that time.

TBS talked to several army officers from different ranks present at the meeting which was called as "Officer's Address" and got details.

They said the meeting lasted for about one-and-half hour from 1:30pm on 3 August with a 10-minute break.

Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman made almost a half-an-hour inaugural address where he described why army had to be deployed in aid of civil administration at the directive of the government.

If the government wants army to be deployed to tackle a crisis situation, he said, they are oath-bound to do so.

But, he hastened to add, his troops did not kill anyone and gave a statistics on bullets and blank shots fired by army personnel to quell down situation in different parts of the country.

At one stage, the chief referred to two songs.

One song "amito preme porinini, prem amar upore porechhe" (I didn't fall in love, love fell on me) to make it clear he did not invite any trouble, rather trouble itself appeared in front of army, and all the happenings around him are unwarranted for.

Another song, also sung by the late Ayub Bachchu, "Ar beshi kandale ural debo akashe" (Will fly to the sky if I am made weep any more) was self-explanatory for the officers.

Once his inaugural address completed, he invited officers from different rank and file to give their practical opinions from the ground reality without taking any side.

Sources present at the meeting said, as some senior officers, brigadier generals and above, raised their hands, the chief discouraged them saying "today we will listen to the young officers."

"Certainly, it disappointed some seniors, but juniors got confidence to place their own opinions, in fact echo of the troops' desire they got through their chain of command," a lieutenant colonel ranking officer who was present at the meeting told TBS.

He and other officers informed that 6-7 participants-- captain, major and lieutenant colonels-- gave their opinions from the ground reality.

One officer referred to a word used by demonstrators towards patrolling army troops in Khulna and said that such a humiliating word was never used against army in the independent Bangladesh.

"What's for?" he questioned.

A female army officer of Rajshahi from army medical corps read out an emotional written speech in Bangla where she said every mother of the country is touched by the deaths and every mother is weeping.

She happened to be a neighbor of Meer Mugdho, who was killed while distributing water among demonstrators in Dhaka's Uttara.

A pin drop silence prevailed at the main venue of the meeting at Helmet Hall of Dhaka Cantonment and among all others who joined the crucial session virtually from different garrisons across the country.

There was at least one apparent humor incident in the meeting.

As a shooting incident of Dhaka's Mohammadpur had gone viral on social media, a concerned captain elaborated how on-duty army personnel were surrounded by a mob and they had to fire for their own safety.

"But, I came under criticism even by my own family members, my friends and my dear and near ones who watched the video where I was grabbed by the videographer," he was learnt to have told the Officer's Address.

May be, the captain told the meeting, "because of my frustrating situation following criticisms by my close kin, my wife tried to cheer me up saying I looked cute."

"Nobody called me cute ever," the chief joked, but soon returned to the serious business and said army will protect interests of the country and its people at first.

A mid break was given around 2:40pm. It was thought that more officers will speak after the break.

However, once the session resumed, the chief said a few words and, echoing the young officers, concluded the meeting with a final directive of "not to fire".