BDR Mutiny in Sylhet

Charge framing now on Sept 5

16 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Sylhet

District and Sessions Judge of Sylhet Mohammad Momin Ullah yesterday deferred charge framing against 34 BDR mutineers of Sylhet sector headquarters. Earlier, the charge framing was deferred thrice. As the accused were produced before the court yesterday, the additional public prosecutor prayed for time extension. The judge granted the prayer fixing the next date on September 5. It is the first case against BDR men in Sylhet in connection with the February 26 incident at Pilkhana in the capital. Additional PP of Sylhet told the Daily Star yesterday that on May 31 Chief Judicial Magistrate ATM Musa sent the case records to the district judge for starting the trial process. As we need adequate preparation for the sensitive case, we submitted the prayer for more time, he added. Two other cases filed against the BDR men in Sylhet were also sent to the district judge. In total 108 BDR jawans have been made accused in the three cases. Officer-in-charge of Sylhet Kotwali Police Station Syeduzzaman filed three separate cases with the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court on May 17 against the BDR men of Sylhet sector and two different battalions, stationed in Sylhet on charge of joining the mutiny. Among them, 51 are in 21 Battalion, 57 in 38 Battalion and 34 are in Sylhet sector headquarters. On February 26 morning, the jawans in Sylhet took control of the Sylhet sector and the two battalions located in the city's Akhalia area on Sylhet-Sunamganj highway allegedly apprehending movement of army to the BDR sector. They also torched some vehicles including three private cars of the BDR officials kept in front of the battalion headquarters. They put up a barricade on the road in front of the 21 Battalion headquarters' main gate and stopped vehicular traffic. They also fired at least 200 gunshots in the air.