DHAKA, March 2: Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis attended a state funeral on Monday for dozens of army officers killed in a mutiny last week, as a think-tank warned there was still a significant risk of conflict in the country.

The rebellion by paramilitary troops at their Dhaka headquarters was put down within two days, but the brazen attacks highlighted the security concerns confronting the 2-month-old government.

The mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) border guards, over pay and the command structure, spread to about a dozen smaller towns across Bangladesh. At least 80 people, most of them officers, were killed.

At a mass funeral in the capital on Monday, national and army flags were draped over the coffins. Buglers played the Last Post, and relatives wept.

“He has paid so dearly for all the good services rendered to the country. I only pray he gets justice from God and peace in heaven,” said the wife of a dead officer.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered a special tribunal try the killers, and has sought help from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Britain’s Scotland Yard. —Agencies
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