Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Implicated in 2009 Military Massacre, Commission Reveals

The interim government under Muhammad Yunus established a commission to investigate the brutal 2009 incident that shocked Bangladesh.

A recently formed commission investigating the violent 2009 mutiny, which resulted in the massacre of numerous senior army officers, announced on Sunday that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had authorized these killings.

The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops went on a rampage, murdering 74 individuals, including military officers, during the two-day insurrection that began in Dhaka and subsequently spread throughout the country in 2009. This incident severely destabilized Hasina's government just weeks after she had assumed office.

Following Hasina's removal from power last year amid a student-led uprising, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus formed a commission to thoroughly investigate the incident.

The 78-year-old Hasina has since taken refuge in India, refusing to comply with court orders demanding her return to Bangladesh.

According to the commission's report submitted Sunday, the Awami League government under Hasina's leadership was directly implicated in the mutiny.

The government's press office, quoting commission chief ALM Fazlur Rahman, stated that former parliamentarian Fazle Noor Taposh functioned as the "principal coordinator" acting under Hasina's instructions, who provided the "green signal" to execute the killings.

"The involvement of a foreign force was strongly evident in the investigation," the statement further noted.

During a subsequent news conference, Rahman accused India of attempting to destabilize Bangladesh and "weaken the Bangladesh Army" following the bloodshed.

"There had been a conspiracy brewing for a long time to weaken Bangladesh's forces," Rahman declared.

India has not yet responded to this accusation.

India's support for Hasina has strained relations between the neighboring countries since her overthrow.

Yunus welcomed the commission's findings, noting that the nation had remained uninformed about the motives behind the 2009 killings for many years.

"Through the commission report, the truth has finally been revealed," he stated.

A previous investigation into the mutiny attributed it to accumulated frustration among soldiers who felt their appeals for improved compensation and treatment were disregarded.

However, that investigation was conducted during Hasina's administration, and her opponents alleged her involvement in orchestrating the mutiny to weaken the military and consolidate her own authority.