Dismissed members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), now Border Guard Bangladesh, staged a protest on Monday to realise their three-point demand that includes reinstatement to their jobs.
The demonstration began with a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar around 12:30pm, from where the protesters marched towards Shahbagh.
Upon reaching the Shahbagh intersection, they continued their demonstration, calling for the reinstatement of all BDR members dismissed through special and summary courts following the 2009 Pilkhana mutiny.
They also demanded full state benefits and compensation.
Their second demand includes transforming the conditional investigation commission, formed after the Pilkhana incident, into a fully independent and effective commission. They also called for the release of those wrongfully imprisoned based on false testimony for nearly 16 years.
Finally, the protesters demanded the rehabilitation of "patriotic army officers" who were allegedly unjustly dismissed following the 2009 events, as well as the reinstatement of the name "Bangladesh Rifles" to honour the force's historic legacy.
