The then State Minister for Home Affairs, Sohel Taj, has denied his involvement in the Peelkhana massacre from the beginning, although it was alleged that he was involved in the planning of the Peelkhana tragedy. Although Sohel Taj claimed that he was out of the country at the time of the incident, a different picture has emerged about him. The investigation report of the brutal murder shows that Sohel Taj had BDR uniforms made a week before the murder, that is, on February 17.
This sensational information has emerged in the statement of witness number eight, Havildar Jasimuddin Khan and tailor Asifur Rahman Akash, in the report of the National Independent Investigation Commission formed by the current interim government to investigate the brutal murders in Peelkhana. The investigation report revealed that in early February 2009, two vehicles from the Home Ministry came to Peelkhana and took nine pieces of uniform cloth allocated for BDR soldiers.
According to the testimony of Havildar Jasimuddin, who was on duty at the warehouse at that time, around 10:00 to 11:00 am, two cars arrived at the warehouse gate, honked their horns, and asked the soldier on duty to open the gate.
When asked to identify them, they said they were from the Home Ministry. Two civil officers got into the car and got out and spoke to the officer on duty at the warehouse. When they returned after talking, Subedar Ishaq opened the warehouse and handed over the new uniforms to them.
According to the testimony of Havildar Jasimuddin, these clothes were brought for the parade and these clothes had not yet been issued to the soldiers. When Havildar Jasimuddin asked Subedar Ishaq at the warehouse about such an incident and where the clothes were being taken, he said that these clothes were being taken to the Home Ministry and that they would come to watch the parade wearing BDR uniforms.
Hearing such an unprecedented incident, Havildar Jasim revealed it to the world, Subedar Ishaq told him, “Father, don’t look up, look down.” Meanwhile, a BDR uniform was made for the then State Minister for Home Affairs, Tanzim Ahmed Sohel Taj. According to the testimony of Asifur Rahman, a tailor working at the BDR headquarters, on February 17, 2009, he went to the office of the then State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj to make a uniform and brought his measurements.
Major Mostaq of the Sadar Rifle Battalion ordered him to make a uniform for Sohel Taj. To take the measurements for the uniform, he took DAD Touhid Akash, who played an important role in the BDR massacre, to Sohel Taj’s office. There, he took Sohel Taj’s measurements and a few days later, he made the uniform and delivered it to Sohel Taj’s office.
According to Akash’s testimony, there was no rank on the uniform but there was a deep insignia. Akash did not meet Sohel Taj on the day the uniform was delivered.
Akash also said that the then Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sohail Taj, was making a uniform for himself because he was going to see the parrot. When other officers came to know about such an unprecedented incident, it created great curiosity among them and many of them came to see the uniform. For example, Colonel Anis and Colonel Humayun, who were martyred in the murder.
This information has come out in the report of the National Independent Investigation Commission.
The commission submitted this report to the Chief Advisor, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, on November 30. The report of the investigation commission said that before the Peelkhana murder, the entire plan for the meeting with the Indian side was finalized and several meetings were held at Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh’s office and residence for coordination.
The plan for the Peelkhana murder with Indian intelligence was finalized in one such meeting at Taposh’s office. The investigation commission has mentioned in its report, based on evidence, that 24 Indian commandos and various intelligence agencies were directly involved in the Peelkhana murder.
The fugitive fascist Sheikh Hasina, who was sheltering in India, became Barrister Taposh’s aunt. The investigation commission has confirmed through evidence that another influential member of the Sheikh family, Sheikh Selim, who is currently absconding, was also involved in this plan. The then Minister of State for Home Affairs, Sohel Taj, also knew about this plan.
In December 2008, Hasina came to power in the rigged elections of the One Eleven government with the help of India. Then the planned way was in just two months. Patriotic nationalist army officers were sent to the BDR in stages.
The commission believes that this well-planned killing was carried out with the desire to dominate Bangladesh by breaking the morale of the army and destroying the morale of the army in revenge for the killing of Indian BSF members by the BDR at the Roumari and Padua borders.
The National Independent Investigation Commission formed by the interim government to investigate the barbaric killings in Peelkhana handed over the report to the Chief Advisor Professor Dr. Mohammad Yunus on November 30 after an investigation of about 11 months.
The head of this commission is Major General (retd) Alam O Fazlur Rahman. A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the 2009 incident. The 360-page original report of the investigation commission states that several meetings were held at the residence of Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh in the presence of Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim. In one of the meetings, the plan to take the officers hostage was announced. Later, it was changed to kill them. According to the commission report, a 24-member team from the Indian intelligence agency participated in the meeting in the presence of the then State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj and Sheikh Selim, cousin of former minister Sheikh Hasina. There, the decision was taken to kill the officer and Taposh was given the responsibility of helping those involved in the murder escape safely.
Awami League’s currently banned leader Jahangir Kovid, Nanak Mirza Azam, Leather Liton and Torabali were present at several meetings to implement the plan. Colonel Shams, CO of 44 Rifles Battalion, was aware of these plans and Taposh was responsible for obtaining approval for the decision from the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As desired by the Awami League and the Sheikh Hasina government, a fabricated story was created to hide the real events and truth of the Peelkhana massacre. Numerous media members and important witnesses were put to sleep while trying to reveal the truth.
Torture was also carried out on the accused who had been sentenced to death. An attempt was made to torture Sepoy Selim. Habildar Mohiuddin was tortured and killed. The bodies of many were found in different parts of the country. Brutal torture was also carried out on witnesses to exclude the names of Awami League leaders from the statements.
64 BDR members are still missing. No one can say whether they are alive or not. Within 10 days of the incident, 34 BDR members died unnaturally from March 9 to July 23. No autopsy reports were available for any of them. The place of death of 10 of these 34 people and the cause of death of 10 are not mentioned in the documents. After the incident, the Imam of the BDR Mosque, Siddiqur Rahman, was put under great pressure and intimidation to become a witness.
Faced with the persecution, he became terrified and fell ill and at one point he fell on his deathbed. Important information has emerged in the report of the Independent Investigation Commission on the BDR murder. The report says that the investigation team of the Independent Investigation Commission saw signs of torture on the bodies of the BDR members detained in prison while interviewing them.
The accused told the commission that their testimony was extracted through torture. The Independent Investigation Commission’s report severely criticized the several investigation committees and reports submitted in the investigation into the Peelkhana murder during the ousted Awami League government.
In addition to the important forces, five senior police officers were also found guilty. In addition to the police investigation of the Awami League government, the National Investigation Committee led by former Secretary Anisuzzaman and the Army Investigation Committee led by Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury also gave separate reports.
After the change in political path on August 5 last year, the interim government formed a National Independent Investigation Committee led by Major General (retd.) Al M Fazlur Rahman to investigate the murder.
On November 30, the committee submitted its report to Chief Advisor Dr. Mohammad Yunus. It said that the national committee formed under the leadership of Anisuzzaman to investigate the incident failed to unravel the real mystery of the incident.
The members of the committee took no initiative to identify the culprits behind the incident. They tried to take the incident into a different category by irrelevantly dragging the issue of the trial of war criminals during the investigation.
The report of Anisuzzaman’s commission given by the Home Ministry does not have any signatures of witnesses.
At least two of the witnesses in the report, former MP Ghulam Reza and former Army Chief Moin U Ahmed, told the Independent Commission of Inquiry that they did not give any evidence to the committee.
Brigadier General Hasan Nasir, while signing the report, wrote that it is not at all permissible to consider the involvement and responsibility of a disciplined force in such a mutiny with impartiality and importance of national interest.
The Independent Commission of Inquiry report also said that the report of the committee formed by the army during the Awami League era had resorted to conventionalism without delving into the root causes of the mutiny. The commission’s report said that the commission’s report Civilians and Awami League figures may have used the matter as a tool for their own revenge.
Local Awami League leader Torabali and his son Leather Liton, son of retired Subedar Kanchan, are directly involved in the Zaker rebellion.
Although the investigation committee formed by the army during the Awami League period recommended that a higher-level investigation be conducted into the matter, the government did not take any action.
Citing the army investigation, the investigation report of the Independent Investigation Commission said that despite participating extensively in the killings, the members of the 44th battalion protected all their officers. On the other hand, the members of the 36th battalion killed their commander, deputy commander and officers. Although the report mentioned the matter as mysterious, no investigation was conducted on the matter later.
In its opinion, the Independent Investigation Commission said that the army investigation committee formed at that time was not careful and proactive enough to uncover the information.
However, in giving its opinion, the process of catching fish and stirring water was completed. The Independent Investigation Commission report on former IGP Noor Mohammad says that he was present at the mock arms surrender ceremony on the night of February 25, 2009, without taking the surrendered weapons into proper custody. He did not ensure the police performed their duties. He was responsible for rescuing all the families from the hostage situation in Peelkhana on the night of February 25. But he showed his irresponsibility by rescuing his own daughter and a few families from there. By hiding the truth, he created a general amnesty for the killers. Besides, he did not take steps to arrest the criminals while they were on the run.
According to the report, former DMP Commissioner Naeem Ahmed did not effectively control the crime scene and did not prevent the escape of criminals. Former Additional IGP Monirul Islam is said to have provided false information to frame five army officers.
He also failed to cooperate in the investigation. Seven specific allegations were made against former Additional DIG of Police Abdul Kahar Akand and his investigation team in the investigation report. These include not filing a case in the case of women and children’s torture and rape.
In this case, not filing a charge sheet despite having witnesses. Again, not including the names of Awami League individuals in the charge sheet despite having witnesses, not presenting technical evidence in the charge sheet by collecting mobile phones and CDRs, not investigating the killers of army officers, those who destroyed evidence and those who helped the accused escape.
In addition, Kahar Akand’s team did not interrogate former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He and his investigation team have been uncooperative by framing innocent opposition leaders and activists in cases and by not providing important information to the Independent Investigation Commission. Incidentally, the Barbar massacre took place at the then BDR headquarters in Peelkhana, Dhaka on February 25 and 26, 2009. 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in that incident.
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