Mutinous soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles stand inside their headquarters in Dhaka, February 26, 2009. — Reuters file photo
The High Court will deliver its verdict on the death reference and appeals in the 2009 BDR mutiny killings any day.
The HC on Thursday concluded hearing of death reference of 151 now defunct Bangladesh Rifles personnel and appeals of 419 other convicts for carnage at its Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka on February 25-26 in 2009.
The bench of Justice Md Shawkat Hossain, Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder reserved the verdicts for its pronouncement any day.
On the day, the bench rejected government appeals filed in April seeking enhancement of convictions of 158 convicts out of 160 who were sentenced to life imprisonment and 261 others jailed for 10 years.
Earlier on November 5, 2013, Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge’s court sentenced 152 people to death, 160 to life-term and jailed 261 others for 10 years.
It had acquitted 258 accused of the murder charges.
The High Court bench heard the death reference and appeals in 370 workdays from January 18, 2015.
On February 25, 2009, several hundred soldiers of BDR (now Border Guard Bangladesh) took weapons against their officers, deputed from army, at Durbar Hall during a BDR Week at the paramilitary headquarters in Dhaka. In the two-day rebellion, 75 people, including 57 army officers, were killed.
The mutiny finally ended the next day (February 26) with the surrender of the firearms and grenades through negotiations between the government and the BDR rebels.
Source: New Age
