BDR Mutiny
309 get rigorous imprisonment, one sepoy acquitted
A special court yesterday sentenced 309 soldiers of 36 Rifle Battalion of erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) to up to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for their role in the mutiny on February 25-26, 2009.
Judges of the mutiny case also fined each convict Tk 100.
A defendant, sepoy Abdur Rashid, was acquitted as the charges brought against him were not proven and would be taken back to the force.
During the two-day violence at the BDR's Pilkhana headquarters, the mutineers mowed down 57 top and mid-ranking army officers alongside 17 other people.
The battalion chief, Lt Col Enayet, second-in-command, Major Makbul, and intelligence officer, Major Haidar, were killed while the body of the sector commander of Dhaka, Col Mujibul Huq, was found at the battalion.
The soldiers are alleged to have left the Darbar Hall defying the director general's order, showed solidarity with mutineers, revolted with firearms, stayed inactive in preventing the mutiny and controlling unruly colleagues and subordinates and used weapons.
Of the convicts, 52 were jailed for seven years, two for six and a half years, 13 for six years, 31 for five years, 53 for four years, five for three and a half years, 58 for three years, three for two years and two months, 50 for two years, 37 for one year, three for six months and two for four months.
Border Guard Bangladesh (formerly BDR) headquarters Director (admin) Col Khandakar Obaidul Ahsan, who led the three-member Special Court-10, before reading out the verdict, said, “Those who are present at the dock are our colleagues. Those who died were our colleagues…
“The convicted soldiers will serve in non-military prisons. The jail term will be effective from today (yesterday).”
Earlier, the court mentioned some points it took into consideration for the sake of justice.
Those include upholding the BDR law and its proper implementation, past records and designation of the accused, contribution to the 1971 Liberation War and duration of time spent behind bars from arrest till the verdict.
Four out of the 16 defence lawyers were present at the court, set up at the Darbar Hall of BGB Headquarters in Pilkhana.
119 witnesses gave depositions against the convicts while 29 defence witnesses testified for the accused.
The court gave the verdict in 46 working days after starting proceeding from March 15, 2010.
A total 3,345 out of 3,423 soldiers of 52 units of BDR were punished for their involvement in the mutiny while 78 others were acquitted.
The trial of 2,622 BDR jawans are now going on in five special courts at the BDR headquarters.
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