Charges against 23 BDR men read out in Rangamati
Trial of 24 others starts in Lalmonirhat
The complainant of the mutiny case filed against 23 BDR men of 18 Rifles Battalion of Chhotoharina zone under Barkal upazila yesterday read out the allegations against the rebels at special court-15 at Rangamati sector headquarters while trial proceedings against 24 mutineers of 31 Lalmonirhat Rifles Battalion under Rangpur sector began at the battalion headquarters the same day.
In Rangamati, the three-member special court headed by Chittagong Sector Commander Col Zahedur Rahman started trial proceedings against the accused at 10:00am and continued until 11:40am. Two other members are
Lt Col Md Abdun Nur and Maj Golam Mostafa Al-Mamun.
At the beginning, the complainant, Nayek Subedar Sahadat Lohani, read out the allegations against 23 mutineers.
He alleged that 23 BDR men of the battalion revolted against their officers on February 26, 2009, looted firearms from the armoury and fired blank shots. They also cordoned off the residence of the then commanding officer Lt Col Md Golam Mowla.
After hearing, court chief Col Zahedur Rahman asked prosecutor Lt Col Mehedi Hassan, commanding officer of 18 Rifles Battalion, to produced all the accused in the court at 10:00am today.
Deputy Attorney General Ejaharul Haque and special public prosecutors advocate Gazi Zillur Rahman and advocate Aminur Rahman Khan were present.
Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reported that trial of 24 mutineers of Lalmonirhat 31 Rifles Battalion started at special court-13, set up at the Battalion headquarters, at 9:00am yesterday.
All the 24 mutineers were produced in the court and 16 of them admitted to their involvement in the mutiny at the battalion headquarters on February 26 last year while the rest claimed innocence.
Of the 23 witnesses, only two yesterday gave their deposition before the special court headed by Dinajpur Sector Commander Col Muhammad Saleh Ahmad. Two other members are Lt Col Mahfuz Alam and Major Didar Al-Latif. Commanding officer of 31 Rifles Battalion Lt Col Aslam Hossain is the prosecutor
Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy, advocates Rezaul Karim and Rafiqul Islam Mithu were present during the trial.
The then officer-in-charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station Foyezur Rahman filed two separate cases with the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court against 24 mutineers of 31 Rifles Battalion.
According to the case statement, the BDR men revolted against their officers and took control of the battalion headquarters on February 26, 2009. They also vandalised doors, windows of the battalion headquarters and fired at least 150 blank shots.
The mutineers were later arrested and produced before the Chief Judicial magistrate's Court that sent them to jail hajat.
The accused are Havilder Nizam Uddin, Samedul Islam, sepoys Nazmul Sahadot, Nazrul Islam, Pronayan Chakma, Habibur Rahman, Joynal Abedin, Ashraful Huda, Abu Siddique, Mohabbat Ali, Kamor Uddin, Rokon, Dulal Hossain, Abu Bakkar, Shahadat Hossain, Parvez Alam, Amir Hossain, Tarequl Islam, Abdur Rahman, Lance Nayek Toslur Rahman, Asaduzzaman, Motiur Rahman, Nayek Subedar yusuf Ali and Sirajul Haque.
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