Bangladesh mutineers murdered dozens of officers

Dozens of murdered officers were found in hastily-dug graves as the clean-up began today after Bangladesh’s brief military mutiny.

Security forces searching the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles border guards said the discovery raised the death toll to 66.

The finds come a day after the mutinous guards surrendered at the compound in the capital Dhaka, shortly after the government sent in tanks in a show of force. The mutineers had been promised amnesty to persuade them to surrender.

But after meeting family members of the dead officers, newly elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the amnesty would not apply to those who carried out the killings. “No one has the right to kill anyone,” she said.

Among the dead was that General Shakil Ahmed, the commander of the guards.

“We are digging out dozens of decomposing bodies dumped into mass graves,” General Abu Naim Shahidullah said. All the victims appeared to be officers, he said, and were wearing combat fatigues.

Many of the bodies were found in shallow holes that had been hastily covered with mounds of dirt.

Others had been thrown into the sewers of the sprawling compound that housed the soldiers and many of their families.

As the toll mounted, the government declared two days of national mourning for the officers.

Dozens of families – particularly those related to senior border guard officers - still did not know what had happened to their relatives.

The revolt has raised questions about the stability of Bangladesh and underlined the fragile relationship between the civilian government and the military. The impoverished nation has repeatedly faced bouts of military rule, returning most recently to democracy in January.

However Ms Hasina has been praised for her handling of the situation, compelling the rebels to surrender quickly.

Overnight authorities set up roadblocks around the country and detained hundreds of fleeing border guards, many of them disguised in civilian clothes.

The insurrection was the result of frustrations over pay for the border guards that did not keep pace with that of the army’s – highlighted by rising food prices as the global economic crisis grows.

Their resentment has been heightened by the practice of appointing army officers to head the border guards. The border guards also do not participate in UN peacekeeping missions, which bring additional pay.

The army plays a pivotal role in Bangladesh, and only recently allowed the country of 150 million people to return to civilian rule.

There have been 19 failed coup attempts since the country gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, and two presidents have been killed in military takeovers.