By IANS,
Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in an address to the nation Thursday afternoon, asked the mutinous Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troopers to lay down their arms and warned that she would take “strong action if compelled to do so”.
Hasina, in the address at about 2.30 p.m., said she had granted general amnesty to the rebels and assured them that they would not be harmed in any way if they give up their “suicidal” mission.
She warned that she would take strong action in the welfare of the nation, if compelled to do so, New Age reported Thursday.
“Do not compel me to take strong action,” Hasina was quoted as saying.
The prime minister also expressed grief at the unnecessary loss of lives.
However, she said that while that loss is irreparable, she did not want to see more loss from any act of vengeance.
The BDR troopers rose in an uprising Wednesday in which at least 50 people were killed. Though, the Sheikh Hasina government has offered general amnesty, the troopers appeared to be defiant and there are reports that the mutiny has spread to other BDR camps located in various parts of the country.