Slain army officers laid to rest
New Age 3/3/09
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Tens of thousands of mourners on Monday bade tearful farewells to army officers killed in last week’s mutiny by BDR personnel.Members of the bereaved families, politicians, army officers and people from all walks of life joined the funeral and paraded before the bodies of 49 officers of the Bangladesh Army and the wife of one of them before they were laid to rest at the Banani graveyard in Dhaka.
President Zillur Rahman, who attended the prayer session at the National Parade Ground, laid floral tributes on behalf of the nation on the slain officers’ coffins that were wrapped in national and army flags after the namaj-e-janaza.
The khatib of the Cantonment Central Mosque and religious teacher, Maulana Mohammad Mahmudul Huq, led the namaz-e-janaza and offered prayers seeking blessings from the Almighty for the departed souls.
He also prayed for the strengthening of
The prime minister’s military secretary placed a floral wreath to pay homage to the valiant sons of the soil on her behalf.
The army chief, General Moeen U Ahmed, the navy chief, Rear Admiral ZU Ahmed, and air force chief, Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman, paid respects to their dead colleagues on behalf of the armed forces at the parade and the prayer sessions, which were broadcast live by the state-run electronic media.
The dead bodies arrived on nine trucks decorated with flowers and petals at the square amid gun salutes, and many relatives, friends and colleagues broke down in tears. Many came with bunches of flowers to pay a last tribute to the deceased.
Many persons attending the state funeral were seen consoling others who were sobbing helplessly.
The officers, whose bodies were found in mass graves inside and outside the Pilkhana in
After the namaz-e-janaja ended, 42 of the bodies were taken in a convoy to the Banani army graveyard where they were laid to rest. The other decedents were buried at their ancestral homes.
Many of the soldiers and officers who were carrying the coffins to the grave broke down in tears while the relatives wept and wailed to bid the final farewell to them.
The chief of the Bangladesh Rifles, Major General Shakil Ahmed, was among the many officers killed in the shooting by disgruntled soldiers. Fifty of the decedents were brought to the National Parade Ground to be paid the last tribute.
According to a list provided by the army’s Inter-Services Public Relations, the deceased were the chief of Bangladesh Rifles Major General Shakil Ahmed and his wife Nazneen Shakil, Brigadier General Md Zakir Hossain, Brigadier General Abdul Bari; Colonels Mujibul Haq, Md Anisuzzaman, Md Mashiur Rahman, Kudrat Elahi Rahman Shafiq, Md Akhter Hossain, Md Rezaul Kabir, Nafis Uddin Ahmed, Quazi Emdadul Haq, Shamsul Arefin Ahmed, Nakibur Rahman, Kazi Moazzem Hossain, Md Shawkat Imam, Md Emdadul Islam, Md Aftabul Islam; Lieutenant Colonels Ensat Ibne Amin, Enayetul Haq, Golam Kibria, Shamsul Azam, Md Badrul Huda, Saiful Islam, Lutfur Rahman, Md
The rescuers recovered as many as 73 bodies from inside and outside the headquarters and are still searching for the other missing officers. The speaker, deputy speaker, members of the Cabinet, lawmakers, political leaders, serving and retired officers of the armed forces and people from all walks of life took part in the funeral.
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