BDR Carnage
Court shown video footage
A special court at BDR headquarters, Pilkhana has been shown a video footage in which an accused jawan addresses mutineers through a megaphone saying 14 crore Bangalees are with them and they will emerge victorious.
The soldier, Lance Nayek Rafiz Uddin Khan of 13 Rifle Battalion, had earlier pleaded not guilty in a mutiny case.
After the screening, Rafiz admitted that he is the man with the megaphone in the footage captured during February 25-26, 2009 mutiny in Pilkhana.
The jawan claimed that he had been forced to deliver the speech. But the court observed the man seemed doing it willingly.
Subedar Farid Uddin Ahmed, first prosecution witness and complainant of the mutiny case, placed direct evidence against 63 accused including Rafiz Uddin yesterday.
The case was filed accusing 622 members of signal sector and 13 Rifle Battalion, Pilkhana.
Brig Gen Obaidul Haque, BDR deputy director general, headed the Special Court-8 set up at the Pilkhana Darbar Hall.
He adjourned the court's proceedings till 10:00am today.
The complainant will place direct evidence against rest of the accused when the court resumes today.
Subedar Farid also presented video clippings and photographs showing many of the 63. Hardly any of the accused admitted they were in the photos.
Another video footage showed Sepoy Azad Khan sitting in a war field vehicle, armoured personnel carrier (APC), during the mutiny.
But Sepoy Azad told the court that during the mutiny he was not in the area where the APCs were and he was not the man in the clipping.
Subedar Farid also placed footage of the body of a slain officer lying at Darbar Hall during the mutiny that left 74 people, including 57 army officers, killed.
Videos also showed how the accused vandalised the cars of director general and other officials.
The footages and still photographs showed during the BDR mutiny trials were provided mostly by media and intelligence agencies. Some were taken by CCTVs in Pilkhana.
Earlier on October 21, the court framed charges against the jawans and fixed November 7 (yesterday) for recording statements of the witnesses.
Of the accused, four pleaded guilty and sought clemency from the court while the rest claimed innocence.
The charges against the accused include leaving Darbar Hall during the Darbar -- a special gathering of the force -- on February 25 last year ignoring the directive of the then BDR DG and not taking any effective step against mutineers.
Not informing higher authorities about mutiny on time, disobeying lawful authorities, taking arms and ammunition from arsenals and participating in the rebellion also have been granted as charges.
Some of the accused were also charged with possessing looted ammunition and hobnobbing with mutineers.
All the accused were produced before the court yesterday.
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