Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force, began a mutiny on Wednesday in the capital Dhaka that has claimed more than 80 lives [AFP]
Published On 1 Mar 20091 Mar 2009
The insurrection is believed to have erupted over frustrations that the guards' pay has failed to keep pace with soldiers in the army [AFP]
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Using mortars and automatic weapons, the army battled the BDR to try to free the officers and a local state minister who had been taken hostage by the mutineers [AFP]
The day before the mutiny Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi prime minister, had visited the BDR’s headquarters and urged them to become "more disciplined and remain ever ready to guard the country's frontiers" [AFP]
Bangladesh has a history of military coups and uprisings, and it is only months since two years of military rule ended in the country [Reuters]
Beyond the capital, sporadic fighting was reported at several guard posts around the country, including in Chittagong, the second largest city [AFP]
After Sheik Hasina threatened to put down the mutiny by force and sent tanks into the streets, the mutineers surrendered and army troops entered the compound [AFP]
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Dozens of murdered officers were found, dumped into massgraves and sewers [AFP]
