An official commission in Bangladesh has alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered a violent military mutiny 16 years ago. The investigation focused on the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) revolt that killed 74 people.
The mutiny occurred just weeks after Hasina first took office in 2009. Rampaging troops killed dozens of senior military officers during the two-day revolt, which began in Dhaka and spread across the country.
Following Hasina’s ouster from power last year, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus established this commission to investigate the incident. The commission submitted its final report on Sunday. It concluded that Sheikh Hasina’s former government was directly involved in the mutiny.
🟥Mega Update on the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Massacre 🟥
The National Independent Investigation Commission, formed to investigate the brutal killings carried out in the name of the BDR mutiny, submitted its final report today (Sunday) to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.… pic.twitter.com/yXqOhSCK3s
— Jashim (@jashim4truth) November 30, 2025A government press statement quoted commission chief ALM Fazlur Rahman presenting these findings. The report names former lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh as the “principal coordinator” of the event. The statement alleges that the killings occurred after Hasina gave the “green signal.” The investigation also found strong evidence that a “foreign force” participated in the events.
Commission chief Rahman expanded on these claims at a news conference. He accused India of trying to destabilise the country and “weaken the Bangladesh Army” after the carnage.
“There had been a conspiracy brewing for a long time to weaken Bangladesh’s forces,” Rahman stated. The Indian government did not immediately respond to these accusations. India’s past support for Hasina has strained relations between the two neighbours since her overthrow.
Read: Sheikh Hasina Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity in Bangladesh
Current leader Muhammad Yunus welcomed the commission’s report. He stated that the nation had “long remained in the dark about the reasons behind the 2009 killings. Through the commission report, the truth has finally come out”.
A previous investigation, conducted by the Hasina government, reached a different conclusion. It blamed the mutiny on years of pent-up anger among soldiers over poor pay and treatment.
Hasina’s political opponents have long claimed she conspired to orchestrate the mutiny to weaken the military and consolidate her own power. The former prime minister, now 78, has sought refuge in India and defies court orders to return to Bangladesh.
