Bangladesh Friday held a funeral prayer (Namaz-E-Janaza) for seven army officers in Dhaka who were killed in Wednesday's mutiny by paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles ( BDR) soldiers, a senior army official said.
Lieutenant Commodore S M Salauddin told Xinhua Friday evening that the funeral prayer was held in the Dhaka Cantonment Central Mosque where chief staffs of three services, ministers and other government officials were present.
He said the seven slain officers will be buried on Saturday with state honor. He added that the government has decided that all the slain army officers will be buried with state honor.
Thousands of BDR soldiers staged a bloody revolt against their army officers over pay and other benefits on Wednesday morning at their headquarters in west of capital Dhaka. The bloody revolt came to an end with surrender of the mutineers Thursday evening.
Police said 39 more bodies, including the body of the BDR chief Shakil Ahmed, were recovered from inside and near the BDR headquarters on Friday, raising the death toll of the mutiny to 60.
Besides, scores of army officers are still missing as there were more than 160 army officers inside the BDR headquarters when the mutineers opened fire on Wednesday morning, among whom 34 officers were either rescued or released.
The joint force of police and the RAB, as well as the army troops, are searching missing officers at the BDR headquarters.
Bangladesh's government has announced a 3-day national mourning from Friday in commemoration of Wednesday's mutiny victims, Abul Kalam Azad, press secretary of Bangladesh's prime minister, told Xinhua Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the national flag will be hoisted half at half-mast during the three days, Azad said.
The BDR, whose main task is to protect the country's borders, is under the Home Minister, but its senior officers are all from the Army. They complained they have been ignored and repressed by their army officers for a long time.
(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2009)