BDR jawans met with Awami League MP Fazle Noor Taposh thrice before the 2009 Pilkhana BDR mutiny to discuss various demands, the lawmaker told a trial court Wednesday.
He also said two groups of BDR jawans met him in November and December in 2008 at his Dhanmondi office and sought his assistance to fulfil their demands involving Awami League president Sheikh Hasina.
Some BDR men again placed their demands including 100 percent ration, promotion, sending jawans to UN missions before him during his visit to a voting centre inside Pilkhana on the election day on December 29, 2008.
The lawmaker from Dhanmondi in his deposition said he informed Sheikh Hasina about their demands in November, but the prime minister did not make any comment.
Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court in Dhaka which is holding the trial of the carnage case, the largest ever criminal case in the country’s history in terms of accused, recorded his statement.
He also told the court that during the February 25-26 mutiny several meetings were held between the prime minister and a team of BDR jawans led by deputy assistant director at prime minister’s then residence Jamuna and hotel Ambala.
Replying to queries of defence lawyers, Taposh said during the meeting, the prime minister inquired the team that whether Maj Gen Shakil and other officials were doing well.
During meeting at Hotel Ambala, the mutineers were requested to free all army officers and their family members who has been kept hostage.
In his 20-minute deposition Taposh also narrated his role during the mutiny.
With Taposh, the court has so far recorded statement of 575 witnesses in the case which was filed following the mind-boggling carnage in the then BDR headquarters in Pilkhana in which 74 people including 57 top and mid-ranking army officers.
The 849 accused in the case are also charged with arson, looting, dumping of bodies, burying bodies in mass graves and theft.
Source: The Daily Star
