DHAKA: A special court spelt out charges against 40 of a horde of 668 suspected mutineers of 24 Rifles Battalion at the BDR headquarters Sunday, scaling up the phased trial of the border guards.

The court adjourned the indictment hearing until 10:00am Monday.

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 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 have appointed seven personal lawyers, while Major Syed Ahmed is working as lawyer for ten accused and Major Imran for 64.

The new BDR DG, Maj General Rafiqul Islam, read out the charges against 40 of the accused.

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 under criminal laws.     

BST 1905 HRS, June 20, 2010
MZ/SMS/MUA