Bangladesh Rifles has a 200 year history

Bangladesh's border guards Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), whose troopers mutinied in Dhaka on Wednesday, has a military history going back more than 200 years.

On Wednesday a paramilitary force guarding the country's 4,427 km long border, the Bangladesh Rifles was raised in 1795 as the Ramgarh Local Battalion.

In 1799, the force established the first camp, Special Reserve Compaq, in the lush green Peelkhana area outside Dhaka, the BDR website said.

It now has an estimated strength of 67,000 men, who are headed by a director general drawn from the Bangladesh Army.

Bangladesh Rifles has taken part in many military operations, including the first and second world wars.

During the 1971 war of liberation, troopers of this force took up arms against the occupation army and earned 142 gallantry awards, including two ?Bir Sresthos', the highest gallantry award.

First Published: Feb 25, 2009 14:43 IST