44 Dinajpur mutineers arrested on court order
Forty-four of the 61 mutineers of Dinajpur-2 Rifles Battalion were yesterday arrested as per order of the special court-13 while charges against 42 rebels of Mymensingh Sector headquarters and 45 Rifles Battalion under the sector will be framed on January 15 next year.
Our Dinajpur correspondent reported that the special court, headed by Dinajpur Sector Commander Col Saleh Ahmad, started trial proceedings against 75 mutineers, including 17 of the sector headquarters, yesterday morning. Other members of the court are Lt Col Mahaful Alam and Major Didar Al Latif.
At the beginning, the complainant, Subedar Major Shamsul Alam of Dinajpur 2 Battalion, urged the court to issue arrest warrants against 44 other accused in the mutiny case that he filed in May last year. The court then ordered arrest of the accused.
After filing of the case in May last year, police arrested 31 mutineers of Dinajpur sector and 2 Rifles Battalion under the sector and sent them to jail. Of them, 17 are from the battalion while the rest 14 from the sector headquarters.
During the trial, JCO Enamul Haque of Dinajpur sector headquarters, pressed mutiny charges against 13 out of 14 accused. Five of the 75 accused, including one from the sector headquarters, will face trial at civil court.
Subedar Major Shamsul Alam told the court that 61 BDR members of Rifles Battalion-2 revolted against their officers on February 26 last year. They looted firearms and ammunition from armoury and fired blank shots.
The special court, set up at Dinajpur sector headquarters, adjourned trial proceedings until 10:00am today. Prosecutor Lt Col Ershad Hossain and Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy were present.
In Mymensingh, the special-17 yesterday fixed January 15 next year to frame charges against 42 mutineers of Mymensingh Sector headquarters and 45 Rifles Battalion under the sector, reports our correspondent.
Prosecutors Major Ahmed Yusuf Jamil and Major Shakir Ahmed read out charges against the accused in the court.
They alleged that the accused BDR members took part in the mutiny on February 26, expressing solidarity with the mutineers of BDR headquarters at Pilkhana in the capital.
They took control of the sector and battalion headquarters, looted firearms and ammunition from armouries and fired blank shots, the prosecutors said.
The three-member court headed by Col Md Nazrul Islam Sarker, Kushtia sector commander, adjourned the trial proceedings of the case until January 15. Two other members are Lt Col Gazi Md Salah Uddin and Maj Mohammad Ashfaq Hossain.
Our Netrakona correspondent adds: The special court-17 yesterday read out the charge against 53 mutineers of 16 Rifles Battalion headquarters.
Headed by Kushtia Sector Commander Col Md Nazrul Islam Sarker, the court, set up at the battalion headquarters in Netrakona, started trial proceedings at noon. Two others members are Lt Col Gazi Md Salah Uddin and Major Ashfaq Hossain.
At the beginning, Major Mohammad Kamruzzaman Milon of the battalion brought charges against 53 BDR rebels. Lt Col Shamsuzzaman, commanding officer of the battalion, is the prosecutor, court sources said.
The court took the charge into its cognisance and asked the authorities concerned to produce all the 53 accused in the court at 8:30am today.
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