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Dhaka searchers find mass grave Bangladesh troops find mass grave
(40 minutes later)
Bangladeshi troops searching the site of a mutiny in Dhaka have uncovered a mass grave thought to hold the bodies of officers killed by mutineers. Bangladeshi troops searching the site of a mutiny in Dhaka have uncovered a grave thought to hold the bodies of at least 20 officers killed by mutineers.
Scores of officers are missing feared dead at the border guard barracks where at least 40 people are known to have died in two days of unrest. Scores of officers are missing feared dead at the border guard barracks where at least 60 people are now known to have died in two days of unrest.
An army spokesman said all the bodies in the grave appeared to be officers'.An army spokesman said all the bodies in the grave appeared to be officers'.
The authorities have arrested at least 200 suspected mutineers who reportedly rebelled over poor pay and conditions.The authorities have arrested at least 200 suspected mutineers who reportedly rebelled over poor pay and conditions.
They were detained while trying to escape dressed in civilian clothes from the barracks of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), officials say.They were detained while trying to escape dressed in civilian clothes from the barracks of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), officials say.
The government has offered the border guards a general amnesty although this is unlikely to extend to the ringleaders of the mutiny or those responsible for killing officers. After visiting the sprawling compound, a government minister declared that the men responsible for the deaths would not receive an amnesty, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina previously offered.
'Covered with leaves''Covered with leaves'
According to AFP news agency, 20 bodies were found in the grave inside the grounds of the barracks. Between about 20 and 60 bodies are believed to be in the grave inside the grounds of the barracks.
href="/1/hi/world/south_asia/7913554.stm">Bangladesh spared more gunfire class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7911960.stm">In pictures: Bangladesh violenceQ&A: Border guards mutinyEyewitness: Bangladesh mutiny href="/1/hi/world/south_asia/7913554.stm">Authority reasserted in Bangladesh class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7911960.stm">In pictures: Bangladesh violenceQ&A: Border guards mutinyEyewitness: Bangladesh mutiny
Col Rezaul Karim, deputy chief of the elite Rapid Action Battalion force, was quoted as saying soldiers were expecting to find more bodies in the same grave. Another 22 bodies were found earlier, including some that had been pulled from sewers and manholes.
Another 22 bodies had been found earlier, including some that had been pulled from sewers and manholes. "The bodies were buried underground in a makeshift grave near the hospital in the BDR headquarters compound," Col Rezaul Karim, deputy chief of the elite Rapid Action Battalion force, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
"The bodies were buried underground in a makeshift grave near the hospital in the BDR headquarters compound," the deputy chief said.
"The dirt had been covered with leaves.""The dirt had been covered with leaves."
Another officer, Brig Abu Naim Shahidullah, told private television station NTV that troops had found a number of mass graves and were "digging out dozens of decomposing bodies".Another officer, Brig Abu Naim Shahidullah, told private television station NTV that troops had found a number of mass graves and were "digging out dozens of decomposing bodies".
"We are still taking the bodies out, so I can't give you an exact number," he added."We are still taking the bodies out, so I can't give you an exact number," he added.
One regular army officer who had managed to escape from the mutineers said they had opened fire indiscriminately. The assumption is that other missing officers were also shot by their men and that their corpses have been buried or dumped in the large drains that run underneath the BDR headquarters in central Dhaka, the BBC's Mark Dummett reports from the city.
Searchers pulled bodies out of sewers around the barracksSearchers pulled bodies out of sewers around the barracks
"It was cold-blooded murder," Syed M Kamruzzaman told AFP. The families of the missing officers are still waiting in anguish outside the gate of the barracks for news, he adds.
"They hurled abuse at us and gunned down whoever they wanted. I was shot at seven times and was lucky to get out alive."
Worried relatives of both the officers and the mutineers have gathered at the Dhaka headquarters waiting for news.
Seven BDR troopers were also killed in the clashes, along with four civilians, including one boy.Seven BDR troopers were also killed in the clashes, along with four civilians, including one boy.
Along with its headquarters in Dhaka, the BDR has nearly 70,000 men stationed at 42 camps across the country, including 40,000 on the borders.Along with its headquarters in Dhaka, the BDR has nearly 70,000 men stationed at 42 camps across the country, including 40,000 on the borders.
It is not yet clear if the mutineers at other bases outside Dhaka have also given up.It is not yet clear if the mutineers at other bases outside Dhaka have also given up.
Amnesty offer 'Triumph for democracy'
The crisis began on Wednesday at about 0930 local time (0330 GMT), reportedly after senior BDR officers refused to consider better pay and conditions for the troops. The crisis began on Wednesday at about 0930 (0330 GMT), reportedly after senior BDR officers refused to consider better pay and conditions for the troops.
FROM THE BBC WORLD SERVICE More from BBC World ServiceFROM THE BBC WORLD SERVICE More from BBC World Service
Rank-and-file BDR members have long been angry over the fact that they earn about $70 (£49) a month, equivalent to the pay of a low-ranking government clerk, while their senior officers, in contrast, are relatively well-paid army officers.Rank-and-file BDR members have long been angry over the fact that they earn about $70 (£49) a month, equivalent to the pay of a low-ranking government clerk, while their senior officers, in contrast, are relatively well-paid army officers.
They ended their mutiny on Thursday after tanks surrounded the barracks and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered to consider their grievances.They ended their mutiny on Thursday after tanks surrounded the barracks and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered to consider their grievances.
In a televised address to the nation, Sheikh Hasina had called on the guards to abandon what she called their "suicidal action". The prime minister's son, Sajeeb Wazed, has told the BBC he believes that her handling of the crisis was a "triumph for democracy" in Bangladesh.
"This is probably the biggest incident Bangladesh has had since 1975 [when President Sheikh Mujib was assassinated in a coup] and our government - the prime minister - handled this compassionately, pragmatically but decisively to bring the situation under control," he said on the World Today programme.
Are you in Bangladesh? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.Are you in Bangladesh? Are you affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
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