BDR Carnage
Maj Asad shot dead on DAD Towhid's order
A witness to the Pilkhana carnage, testifying before a Dhaka court yesterday, narrated how some rebels shot dead Sadar Battalion officer Maj Asad upon order from the then BDR deputy assistant director (DAD) Towhidul Islam.
"The jawans did not spare him although he repeatedly begged for his life", sepoy Anwar Hossain told the make-shift Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court, Dhaka, which is holding trial into the carnage case. The jawans also severely beat Maj Asad up before shooting him dead.
Meanwhile, the court passed an order directing the police station concerned to deposit two licensed firearms and ammunition of a detained key accused and former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu after examining those.
The directive came on hearing of a petition filed by Pintu's counsel on January 16 seeking the court's order asking the police station to deposit the firearms--a shotgun and a pistol--and some ammunition.
The witness, sepoy Anwar, said he saw havilder Tariqul and two to three jawans of sadar battalion beating up Maj Asad around 9:30am on the first day of the February 25-26, 2009 bloody mutiny that left 57 top and mid-ranking army officers and 17 others dead in BDR headquarters of Pilkhana.
"Later DAD Towhid came to the scene and angrily ordered to collect firearms and ammunition, breaking open arsenals and finish off the army officers", he said.
He said some jawans took Maj Asad to the first floor office room of the commander of Sadar Battalion. Then the jawans opened fire indiscriminately at Asad and another Lt Col Jahanara prompting both the officers to enter bathroom for cover.
"Around 10-15 minutes later, DAD Towhid, havilder Belayet, nayek Asad, sepoy Aminar, and several others, all with firearms, entered there and brought the two officers out of the bathrooms breaking open the doors", the witness said.
Some jawans then took away Lt Col Jahanara while havilder Belayet, nayek Asad, and sepoy Aminar shot Maj Asad dead following the order of DAD Towhid.
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