1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny

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1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny
Date1 October 1977
Location
Bangladesh
Status Defeat of the mutineers
Belligerents
Bangladesh Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force Mutineers from Bangladesh Air Force and Army Signals corp
Casualties and losses
21

The 1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny was a mutiny in Dhaka on 1 October 1977 by members of Bangladesh Air force and the Signal corps of Bangladesh Army.[1]

Background[]

Bangladesh was under a military government headed by President Ziaur Rahman who had come to power through a coup. The government of Bangladesh was busy with the Japan Airlines Flight 472 hijacking and the exchange of hostages for ransom.[1] The Japanese Red Army had hijacked the plane and landed it in Tejgaon Airport in Dhaka.[2] The hijackers were warned of the mutiny and told to take defensive position if they saw armed personnel moving towards the plane by the air control tower.[3]

Events[]

The revolt was carried out by lower ranking soldiers of the Bangladesh Army Signals Battalion and the Bangladesh Air Force.[4] It was led by Sergeant Afsar of the Bangladesh Air Force, who was influenced by the ideology of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.[5] The mutineers killed 11 officers in Tejgaon Airport.[2] Ten soldiers from the army were killed.[6] The mutineers took over Dhaka Radio station briefly and attacked the residence of President Ziaur Rahman.[7] After the government put down the mutiny, hundreds of members of the Air Force were arrested. They were swiftly convicted in military tribunals. A few were sentenced to prison, but most were executed in Dhaka Central Jail.[6] The government of President Zia officially announced the hanging of 561 Air Force personnel.[8][9]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Bangladesh Says It Has Put Down An Armed Coup". The New York Times. 2 October 1977. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Tales of critical times". The Daily Star. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  3. ^ Masters, Edward E. (2 October 1977). "Hijacking and Internal Security in Dacca". WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable: 1977DACCA05583_c. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  4. ^ Masters, Edward E. (4 October 1977). "Bangladesh Mutiny". WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks cable: 1977DACCA05677_c. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Clandestine killings in the Bangladesh Army". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b "A dictator and his victims". The Daily Star. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  7. ^ Islam, N. (2016). Governance for Development: Political and Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh. Springer. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-137-54254-0.
  8. ^ "Bangladesh says 561 military men hanged after 1977 coup attempt". UPI. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  9. ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
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