In his statement on Monday, former Army chief Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan said, “When I realized that, despite everything, killings in crossfire were not stopping, I stopped the practice of deputation and posting of officers from the DGFI, BGB and RAB. Many people warned me that what I was doing was rebellion. My response was simple: On the day of judgement, I will have to answer to Allah. The reaction to stopping the posting was severe. I was punished for posting Received continuous telephone calls to release the officers. At one point, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed came to my office and requested the officers to be released, but I did not give her any commitment.
He further said, “During the inauguration of Hotel Radisson in Chattogram, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called me to a meeting and asked me to deploy officers to the RAB. I told her that due to the shortage, it is not possible to provide officers to the RAB. This pressure continued till my retirement, yet I stood firm on my decision.”