BDR Carnage

Court asks IO to submit probe report by May 19

21 April 2010, 18:00 PM

Court Correspondent

A Dhaka court yesterday asked Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to submit by May 19 the probe report of a case filed in connection with the carnage at Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Pilkhana in February last year. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Enamul Haque passed the order after the CID's Special Superintendent of Police Abdul Kahar Akand, also the investigation officer of the case, failed to submit the report by yesterday, the scheduled date for submission of the report. The CID has so far arrested 2,264 soldiers of BDR and civilians including former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and Awami League leader Torab Ali in connection with the case. Of the arrestees, 2,240 were earlier placed on remand, and 533 of them had given confessional statements before magistrates. Of them, 222 BDR jawans and civilians had submitted petitions for retraction of their confessional statements. Sources said the jail authorities did not produce the arrestees before the court yesterday due to security reasons. Earlier on April 8 last year, the jail authorities had produced 800 BDR jawans and civilians before the court that suspended the trial proceedings of several courts for over four hours. At least 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a mutiny of the border guards at their Pilkhana headquarters on February 25-26 last year.