DHAKA: A special court opened hearing on depositions for framing charges against 668 suspected mutineers of 24 Rifles Battalion at the BDR headquarters on Sunday morning.

The Special Court-5, led by newly appointed Director-General of Bangladesh Rifles Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam, started the hearing at about 11:00am.

Prosecutor of the case Lt Col Shamsul Alam spelt out charges against the accused and appealed for indicting them for their part in the Feb 25-26, 2009 mass mutiny in the paramilitary border force.

One in this group of rebels, Jainul Abedin, has died in custody and so 667 were produced before the court to stand trial.
Nine of them appointed personal lawyers.

Major Syed Ahmed was working as lawyer for ten accused and Major Imran for 64.

The court was adjourned for lunch break when the report came.

A total of 57 army officers in command of the BDR were brutally killed during the mayhem on February 25 and 26 at Peelkhana, while the rebellion spread to other BDR units around the country.

The government later formed six special courts, including two in Dhaka, to prosecute some 3,500 BDR jawans accused in some 40 cases. The ongoing phased trial is for the act of mutiny under the BDR law while the trial of the mutiny-time crimes will be held later on under criminal laws.     


BST 14 HRS, June 20, 2010
MZ/MHQ/MMK/ARF/SMS/MUA