6 special courts set up for trial

BDR headquarters yesterday constituted six special courts, two of them in Dhaka, as per the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 to initiate trials of the February 25-26 mutineers.

The BDR director general will head each of the three-member courts that will have a lieutenant colonel and a major as the two other members, says a BDR press release.

Lawyers nominated by the attorney general will assist the special courts, which will only conduct mutiny trial, the release says.

Special court-1 will deal with mutiny in Khulna, Rajshahi and Kushtia sectors, special court-2 with cases in Dinajpur and Rangpur sectors, special court-3 will cover Sylhet, Comilla and Mymensingh sectors, special court-4 Chittagong, Rangamati and Khagrachhari sectors, special court-5 Dhaka sector, and special court-6 will try mutineers of the BDR headquarters that house different establishments, signal sector, sadar rifle battalion, BDR hospital and Rifles Security Unit.

The courts will be set up at the scenes of occurrence or near them for the benefit of conducting the trial, says the BDR press release.

The accused will be entitled to self-defence as per the BDR act. "They can employ officers of the force or lawyers to assist them in this regard," the press release adds.

At least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputed at the paramilitary force, were killed in the February 25-26 bloody mutiny.