India on Monday unequivocally condemned the attempt to destablise the elected government in Bangladesh. In a letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee “expressed solidarity” with her government in “this hour of difficulty”. Mukherjee, who is understood to have been in touch with the political leadership in Bangladesh, also expressed “great shock” and conveyed deepest condolences from India.

He said that India stood ready to extend whatever assistance Bangladesh may require at this juncture and that India wished to see a democratic, stable, and prosperous Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Home Ministry had initiated a probe into the mutiny, but the military wanted a role in it. Now, a joint team will investigate the mutiny. In the chargesheet filed, six persons, including four deputy assistant director-level Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) officials, have been named as the leaders of the mutiny. The four senior BDR officials are Mohammad Touhidul Alam, Naseeruddin Khan, Mirza Habib-ur Rehman and Abdul Jalil. The arrested BDR officials are suspected to have links with Right-wing groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami.

The aspects being investigated include reports of vehicles, laden with arms and ammunition, which were intercepted on February 24, a day before the mutiny when Sheikh Hasina was visiting the BDR headquarters. There are reports regarding another van, which made an entry into the BDR headquarters and left just before the mutiny began. There are also reports regarding a group of men, ranging between 24 and 40, entering the BDR headquarters a day before the mutiny in the garb of social-workers. On the day of the mutiny, some attackers wore red and black masks and some even wore slippers, which BDR personnel would not have worn.