Security beefed up at Pilkhana as 2nd verdict on BDR mutiny case to be announced today

Security was beefed up at the Border Guard Bangladesh headquarter at Pilkhana in the city as the second verdict of one of 11 cases related to BDR rebellion in Dhaka on February 25-26, 2009 will be delivered today, officials said.

Additional para-commandos and law enforcers including Rapid Action Battalion were called in at Pilkhana and existing security personnel were asked to remain alert before and after delivering the verdict, a preparatory security meeting source said.     

The special court-11, presided over by theBGB Mymensingh sector commander, Colonel Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud, will start delivering the verdict on 84 accused of BGB Dhaka Sector Headquarters at about 9:00am at BGB Durbar Hall at Pilkhana. 

The first verdict in cases relating to soldiers' rebellion in Dhaka on February 25-26, 2009 had been delivered on February 1.

The other judges of the special court-11 are Lieutenant Colonel Shahadat Hossain and Major AKM Alamgir Hossain.

On October 3, 2010, the special court started the proceedings against 84 accused mutineers of BGB, formerly Bangladesh Rifles.

Plaintiff of the case, acting Subedar Major Shah Alam of Dhaka Sector Headquarter raised the charges against the 84 border guards for violating the orders of BDR officers, not resisting other mutineers from taking part in the mutiny and not informing the higher authorities about the mutiny on February 25-26, 2009 at the border guards' headquarter in Dhaka where 75 people, including 57 army officers, were killed.

The plaintiff had said 40 of the accused had trained their guns at their officers on the first day of the two-day mutiny while the other accused did not try to stop them.

Till day, 1,947 soldiers have been sentenced by special courts across the country on charge of the February 2009 mutiny.

Fifty-seven cases, including 11 in Dhaka, were filed after the mutiny that rocked all but nine BDR units.

The first trial of BDR mutiny began in Rangamati on November 24, 2009 under Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972.

After carrying out unit-level investigations, authorities brought mutiny and related charges against 6,052 soldiers, 4,098 of them in Dhaka.

Fifty-nine BDR soldiers have so far been acquitted of the charges by specials courts.

Source: New Age