3 HC judges ask govt for their security

A High Court bench comprising three judges hearing the appeals and death reference in the 2009 BDR carnage case yesterday in a suomoto (on its own) move directed the government to arrange proper security for them in seven days.

Justice Md Shawkat Hossain, Justice Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder passed the order following a November 13 news report of The Daily Star headlined "It's all because of war trial, says intel", Deputy Attorney General AKM Zahid Sarwar Kazal told The Daily Star.

Citing from a report prepared by the Special Branch (SB) of police, the news report said a certain group has been planning subversive and terror activities to 'free war criminals now under trial'.

It is also out to "tarnish the image of the nation by creating anarchy and degrading law and order in the country", the SB report said, adding that the group might hijack a plane on international or domestic routes, abduct or kill any VIP and commit atrocities by exploding bombs.

Currently one bodyguard is assigned to each judge.

DAG Zahid said the home and law secretaries, inspector general of police and Dhaka metropolitan police commissioner were asked to arrange adequate security for the judges as they were dealing with such a sensational case. 

Meanwhile, the bench held the hearings for the 139th day when Attorney General Mahbubey Alam placed arguments opposing the convicts' appeals.

The HC fixed November 30 for resuming hearing arguments on the 255 appeals, filed individually and collectively, by 567 convicts. Seventy-four people, including 57 army officials, were slain in the BDR mutiny on February 25-26, 2009 at the force's Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka.

In November 2013, a Dhaka court sentenced 150 soldiers of BDR, now Border Guard Bangladesh, and two civilians to death, and jailed 161 for life for their involvement.

It also gave rigorous imprisonment, ranging from three to 10 years, to 256, mostly BDR soldiers. The remaining 277 were acquitted. A total of 844 people, 823 of them BDR personnel, stood trial.