Bangla troops rebel over low pay

Thousands of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel mutinied on Wednesday, opening fire and taking senior officers hostage at the BDR headquarters.

They agreed to lay down arms late in the night after prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed granted them general amnesty and accepted their demands, which included better pay and end to frequent transfers.

At least three persons were killed and more than 30 injured in the gunfire between the rebels and the army, which continued till late in the night. Many more were feared dead as a private TV channel quoted a mutiny leader as saying the corpses of at least 10 soldiers were lying inside the compound.

However, there was no confirmation of a surrender till late on Wednesday. Thousands of army troopers with at least 12 cannons continued to cordon off the area housing the BDR headquarters in the capital, a major said.

The BDR revolted in the morning during a meeting with senior officers. Several TV channels said the BDR chief was injured or possibly killed, but the rebel troops denied it.

Gunbattles raged through much of the day as the army and police tried to storm the headquarters, home to nearly 4,000 troopers.

As panic spread in the city, the prime minister met rebel leaders at her home and offered a general amnesty, her spokesman, Nakibuddin Ahmed, said.

Tauhid, an assistant director of the BDR who led the mutineers in talks with Sheikh Hasina, said: “We have pledged to her that we will lay down arms and go back to the barracks. She has agreed to meet our demands.”