Days Get Darker For Their Relatives

Wife of a BDR jawan crying on the feet of a policeman on duty to know whereabouts of her detained husband

Relatives of BDR jawans looking for their kith andkin at gate No. 5 of the BDR Headquarters

Shireen Begum, waiting outside the BDR headquarters, every moment is unbearable. Her husband reported to work after a government summon, just days after the shocking revolt that saw a huge pile of dead bodies. But, after the killing of the officers and the discovery of mass graves, another tale of woe is unfolding. Like Shireen, many wives, sisters and mothers wait outside anxiously to know about the state of the men in their families who are also members of the BDR.

Their concern is understandable since the government has declared that anyone found to be linked directly to the mutiny and responsible for the mindless killings of unarmed officers will be punished.

Though it has been established that many of the BDR men reporting back to duty had no part in the killings, there is a sense of trepidation among their relatives over the possibility of a major retribution that may not leave out the innocent or those who were compelled to take part in the mutiny in the face of weapons.

"Today is the sixth day of the month and I haven't been able to manage my 10-month old baby's food, house rent or tuition fees for my four school-going children yet," Shireen, wife of BDR lance naik Jainal Hossain says in front of BDR Sat Masjid Road gate.

"Allah alone knows how we are surviving since my husband reported back here at the BDR headquarters. No-one has bothered to tell us if he's alive either. Even jailbirds get to see their folks," adds Shireen, her eyes teary and voice laden with sadness.