DHAKA: Police Monday charged 824 persons with serious crimes like killings, raping, looting and so in the Pilkhana BDR headquarters during last year’s mass mutiny in the country’s border force.

Simultaneously, the cabinet Monday approved a draft law reforming the mutiny-ridden Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) into Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) with the provision for death sentence as maximum punishment for committing such grievous crimes that fall under its toils.              

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted the charge sheet to a court of Dhaka metropolitan magistracy, after long-drawn investigations since the February 25-26, 2009 mayhem.      

Of the accused to stand trial, 801 are BDR personnel and 23 civilians, journalists were told at a press conference in the CID conference room at noon after charge-sheeting the suspects.

The investigation officer of the case and CID special police super Abdul Kahar Akhand placed the charge sheet before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Enamul Haque.

According to the charges pressed by the plainclothes police investigators, allegations against 1504 more suspected persons, including 17 civilians, didn’t stand a close inquiry.

Twenty-one of the charge-sheeted persons are on the run.

Among the civilians facing the charges are former BNP MP Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and Awami League leader Torab Ali, both of them detained in jail.

On February 25 and 26, 2009, a total of 73 people, including 56 army officers in command of the paramilitary border force under the then BDR director-general Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, were killed in the bloody mutiny at the BDR headquarters in the city.

Later on February 28, a murder case was filed with Lalbagh thana in this connection. The case was later transferred to New Market Thana on April 6.

Among the total 2,328 suspected mutineers in the headquarters, 2,307 were held in this case.

A big horde of 3,500 suspected mutineers from the headquarters and different garrisons across the country are already facing trial on charge of mutiny in 40 cases under the BDR Act.

And those charge-sheeted Monday would be tried on the above-mentioned criminal charges brought against them.      

The press conference was told that a total of 1215 persons, including the victims’ family members, BDR members, journalists, civilians, arms and cell-phone experts, ministers, MPs, physicians and others have been made witnesses in this case.

BDST: 1801 HRS, JULY 12, 2010