DHAKA: Pronouncing charges against a big band of 668 suspected mutineers of the 24 Rifles Battalion concluded Wednesday at the BDR headquarters and a special court tasked with the trial fixed Saturday (June 24) for the indictment.

In the phased hearing, charges against the remaining 293 of the accused were read out in the court from 9am to 2pm on the fourth day today (Wednesday).

The Special Court-5, led by newly appointed Director-General of Bangladesh Rifles Major-General Rafiqul Islam, fixed June 26 as the date for taking depositions by witnesses in the process of formally charging the suspects.

After hearing, Dhaka BDR sector commander Col Aziz Ahmed told reporters that depositions would be taken on Saturday next from the witnesses, including the then 10 BDR personnel who had been deputed from the army to the paramilitary border force during the carnage.  

“Besides, video footages and photographs would be displayed as evidences on the day,” he said.

Lt Col AKM Golam Rabbani, Major Sayed Hossain Taposh and Deputy Attorney-General Advocate M Suhrawardy assisted the DG of the mutiny-ridden paramilitary border force in presiding over the biggest trial ever in the country’s history involving the mega-mayhem.

Earlier, with the spelling out of charges against 40 accused Sunday, 143 Monday and 192 on Tuesday the prosecutor of the case 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. The court, however, dropped the charge against Jainul Abedin on prosecutor’s appeal.

BDST: 1600, 23 June 2010
MZ/SMS/MUA