President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman paid tribute to the martyres of the Pilkhana tragedy.
Around 10am, they placed flowers at the graves of the martyrs in the Banani Military Graveyard on the occasion of National Martyred Army Day.
After offering floral tributes, the President and Prime Minister joined in prayers and supplications.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan were present. Family members of the victims also attended.
On February 25–26, 2009, seventy-four people, including fifty-seven army officers, were killed at the then BDR headquarters in Pilkhana.
Since 2024, the day has been observed as National Martyred Army Day.
In the Pilkhana massacre case, the High Court sentenced 139 BDR members to death, 185 to life imprisonment, and acquitted 283. However, the case under the Explosives Control Act is still ongoing in the trial court.
Defense lawyers allege that although many were acquitted in the murder case, they have remained imprisoned for nearly a decade under the second case.
In the Explosives Control Act case, testimony has been taken from 302 witnesses out of nearly 1,200.
