8 unclip handcuffs in prison van
A BDR special court yesterday asked the jail authorities to take necessary action against eight accused mutineers of 24 Rifle Battalion who unclipped their handcuffs on way to the courtroom from prison.
The eight of 667 accused unclipped their handcuffs by wire when they were being carried in a prison van to Darbar Hall at Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Pilkhana. Court officials detected the mischief in CCTV camera after they entered the courtroom.
Charged, three soldiers instantly changed their names and gave false identities. Sepoy Abdur Rahim introduced him as Rahman, sepoy Mohammad Sajadul Islam as Kashedul and sepoy Ismail Sarkar introduced him as Khaled.
Prosecutor of the mutiny case Lt Col Shamsur Rahman brought the matter to the court's attention.
The Special Court-7 headed by BDR DG Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam ordered the jail authorities to take action against the eight as per the jail code as the matter was beyond the court's jurisdiction.
Lt Col Shamsur Rahman suspects the alleged mutineers did this to commit some subversive acts.
Meanwhile, the then intelligence officer of 13 Rifle Battalion Maj Kamrul in his deposition narrated how the accused inflicted torture upon him and his wife.
"The mutineers came to the bedroom of my house on February 26. I hid myself in the foxhole of my bathroom. Failed to find me they scolded my pregnant wife and tried to drag her away. Hearing her scream I came down," he said.
Maj Kamrul added he was later held by the accused who charged him with bayonets and pistol butts.
"I urged sepoy Majhar not to shoot me in front of my family and set them free," Maj Kamrul said in a chocked voice.
"If you want to kill me then shoot me on my head from behind so that I don't have to see my own soldiers are killing me," he recalled as saying to the accused.
He later managed to survive and leave the BDR headquarters. He brought allegations against four accused of 24 Rifle Battalion who later cross-examined him.
Earlier, 20 accused cross-examined the witness no 28. The court has been adjourned till 9:00am of January 1.
As many as 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed during the February 25-26 mutiny at BDR Headquarters last year.
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