Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury marked the Martyred Army Day on Monday by paying homage to military officials, who were killed during the 2009 BDR mutiny in Dhaka’s Pilkahan.

He paid the tribute through placing a floral wreath at the Banani Military Graveyard.

Chiefs of Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air also paid homage to the martyrs.

Talking to the media after paying tribute, the home adviser said, “Families of the Pilkhana martyred military officials had been demanding that February 25 be announced as Martyred Army Day, and we have implemented that.”

"In the Pilkhana incident, the verdict of the murder case was delivered. Many of those who were acquitted in that case are accused in explosives cases. The murder case is now under review at the High Court,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said the testimony in the explosives case remains stayed and it is not in their hands. It's in the hands of the court. The court can grant bail if it wants.

Tributes to the martyrs were also paid on behalf of Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion.

Moreover, family members of the martyrs placed floral wreaths at the graves, observed a one minute silence, and prayed for the salvation of the departed souls.

On February 25, 2009, several hundred mutineers of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), now Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), launched an armed rebellion at the Pilkhana Darbar Hall, brutally killing 74 people.

Among the martyrs were 56 valiant army officers, including the then BDR chief, Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed. Their sacrifice remains a dark yet solemn chapter in the nation’s history.

On 23 February this year, the government decided to observe 25 February as National Martyred Army Day, honouring the supreme sacrifice of army officers who lost their lives in the tragic Pilkhana incident.