BDR Carnage Trial
Docs narrate Lt Col Kaysar's killing
Two female army doctors yesterday narrated how Lt Col Kaysar was killed by a shot to the head an hour after the mutiny broke out at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Pilkhana on February 25, 2009.
Lt Col Yasmin Aktar and Major Farzana Kalam were giving depositions before the Metropolitan Sessions Judges' Court, holding the BDR carnage trial, set up temporarily at the Alia Madrasa playground in the city's Bakshibazar.
Major Farzana said she and other army officers were hiding behind a drapery of the stage at Darbar Hall as the mutiny began when the deteriorating situation compelled them to come out.
“When we reached the middle of the Darbar Hall, the soldiers caught and dragged us out. Then a soldier shot Lt Col Kaysar on the head and started beating Lt Col Lutfor Rahman,” she said.
“Do not kill them. They are female doctors. They will come to our use,” said Major Farzana, quoting sepoy Selim Reza, who was passing the orders as the officers were being taken out of the Darbar Hall.
The mutineers told the female officers to board a pick-up truck bound for the BDR hospital. “Lt Col Robi somehow managed to board the vehicle but the mutineers threw him off, hitting him with rifle butts,” she said.
The witness mentioned the names of seven mutineers -- sepoys Hasib, Jasim, Ramjan, Obaidul, Rezaul, Ibrahim and Rafiq -- whom she treated during the two-day mutiny.
Major Farzana stated that the mutineers looted around 35 tolas of jewellery from her house.
Following her deposition, the prosecution exhibited the jewellery, recovered from the possession of sepoy Rafiq and relatives of the accused, before the court.
The court then returned the jewellery to her and the defence cross-examined her.
The court will resume on March 21 with the recording of the cross-examination of Lt Col Yasmin by the defence counsels.
A total 74 people, including 57 army officers, were brutally killed in the mutiny at the defunct BDR (now Border Guard Bangladesh) headquarters from February 25 to 26, 2009.
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