Court accepts charges against 60 jawans
December 7, 2009
The three-member BDR court accepted the charges against 60 jawans of 7 Rifles Battalion Monday afternoon at the 41 Rifles Battalion headquarters in Satkhira.
The special BDR court led by the border guard’s Director General Maj Gen M Mainul Islam continued this day’s proceedings for nearly one hour starting from 3:10pm.
Lt Col Khalid and Maj Lutful Karim are the two other members of the court, reports our Satkhira correspondent quoting Lt Col Badrul Alam, the commanding officer of 7 Rifles Battalion.
The court is set to try at least 60 accused soldiers of 7 Rifles Battalion at Nildumur, said Lt Col Iqbal Azim, commanding officer (CO) of 41 Rifles Battalion.
Of the accused, 34 are behind bars, while the others will be hauled before the court during trial, the CO added.
Six special courts of BDR will hold 50 trials for the February 25-26 mutiny in many BDR establishments across the country.
Earlier on November 24, the first of the trials began at Rangamati sector headquarters.
Of the places where mutiny broke out, 10 are at Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka and the remaining 40 are in 27 other districts.
The 27 districts are Satkhira, Jessore, Chuadanga, Kushtia, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Narail, Feni, Khagrachhari, Rangamati, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar.
Two of the six courts will be devoted to trial of the ones charged with mutiny at the Pilkhana headquarters.
Dhaka sector headquarters, 24, 36, 13 and 44 Rifle Battalion, headquarters battalion, BDR hospital, Rifle Security Unit (RSU), Signal Sector and Rifles Sports Board are the 10 points at Pilkhana that saw 74 persons including 57 army officers killed in a 33-hour carnage.
Around eight thousand troops were at Pilkhana during the bloodbath on February 25-26. But all of them would not have to go on trial, said a BDR source.
Some three thousand of them might have to stand trial on charges of mutiny. The rest would face departmental actions that could at the maximum cost them their jobs, added the source.
However, for those to be tried on mutiny charges, the conviction could carry up to seven years in jail, fine and dismissal from service.
Like at Pilkhana headquarters, mutiny took place in more than one place in some districts. For example, revolt spread among three of the five battalions in Rangamati sector. In Satkhira, jawans mutinied in 7 Rifle Battalion at Nildumur and 41 Rifle Battalion under Khulna sector.
Initially, the courts will sit for two days.
On the opening day, charges will be pressed and arrest warrants issued, and on the second day, the accused will be produced before the court.
After the second day’s proceedings, the court will be adjourned for about a month as the BDR act prescribes giving the accused at least 27 days to consult lawyers and prepare for defence.
On the second day of the trial at Rangamati, all nine accused soldiers of the 12th Rifles Battalion of Rangamati sector were produced before the three-member special court which adjourned its proceedings till December 27 so the nine accused and their lawyers could make preparations.
After initiating the prosecution in Satkhira, the BDR court might sit in Feni, said sources.
Source: thedailystar.net
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