DHAKA: The second-day indictment hearings against 668 suspected mutineers of 24 Rifles Battalion at the BDR headquarters concluded Monday with the spelling out of charges against another 143 accused.

With the 143, charges were read out against 183 of the horde of mutiny suspects in two days of hearings.   

The Special Court-5, led by newly appointed Director-General of Bangladesh Rifles Maj General Rafiqul Islam, started the hearing proceedings at 10:50am and concluded at about 2:30pm.

One of the BDR men in the dock, nayek subedar Tofazzal Hossain, fell sick in the morning, causing delay in resuming the day’s hearing scheduled for 10am.

Lt Col AKM Golam Rabbani, Major Sayed Hossain Taposh and Deputy Attorney-General Advocate M Suhrawardy are assisting the DG of the mutiny-ridden paramilitary border force.

The charge hearing will resume at 11am tomorrow (Tuesday) for a third consecutive day.

Earlier on Sunday, Prosecutor of the case Lt Col Shamsul Alam spelt out charges against 40 accused and appealed for indicting them for their part in the Feb 25-26, 2009 mass mutiny in the border force.

One in this group of rebels, Jainul Abedin, has died in custody and so 667 were produced before the court to stand trial.

Major Imran was working as “friend of the accused” for 10 and Major Syed Ahmed for 64 of the mutineers.

BDST: 1312, 21 June 2010
MZ/RR/MMK/MRH/RS/LY/MUA