Court accepts charges against 824 accused

A Dhaka Court yesterday took into cognisance the charges against 801 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) personnel and 23 civilians in connection with the carnage during last year's mutiny in the border security force's headquarters.
After scrutinising the case diary and other relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate SK Tofail Hassan passed the order.
The court issued arrest warrants against 21 BDR personnel as they have been absconding since the incident took place on February 25-26, 2009. The court also passed an order to attach their properties.
The court further granted the appeal submitted by the investigation officer (IO) of the case for dropping the names of 1483 from the charge sheet as their involvement with the killings was not proved.
However, the persons who were dropped from the charge sheet would be tried under the mutiny act and they would not be released, said sources.
The court directed officers-in-charge (OC) of different police stations to submit by August 25 reports on execution of arrest warrants against the 21 BDR personnel.
The Criminal Investigation Department on July 12 indicted 824 BDR soldiers and civilians on 24 criminal charges in connection with the mutiny.
The charges include murder, arson, looting, hiding of bodies, and sedition.
CID's Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, also the IO of the case, submitted the charge sheet against former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, former leader of a Dhaka city ward unit of Awami League Torab Ali, and BNP backed former city ward commissioner Suraiya Begum.
The much talked about BDR deputy assistant director (DAD) Mohammad Towhidul Islam was made the prime indictee.
The indicted are six DADs, 44 subedars, 80 havildars, 60 nayeks, 68 lance nayeks, 504 sepoys, 14 cooks, two peons, two cow herders, 18 sweepers, one ward boy, two carpenters, and 23 civilians.
The charge sheet also showed 21 BDR personnel as absconding since the mutiny. The IO prayed for issuance of arrest warrants against them, and an order for confiscating their properties.
The IO also said the mutiny was staged based on some pent-up resentment among BDR soldiers regarding some demands.
He said the indicted BDR members and civilians held several meetings inside and outside the BDR Headquarters prior to the mutiny.
The indictees looted arms breaking armouries, raided Darbar Hall of the BDR Headquarters, sprayed bullets there and at different other places in Pilkhana killing 74 people including 57 army officers, he said.
A total of 2,307 were arrested so far in connection with the mutiny, 2,282 of them were taken on remand, and 543 gave confessional statements.