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B’desh jails 250 more in the BDR mutiny case

POREG VIEW: The 2009 mutiny case is inching towards punishing all the guilty of revolting against Sheikh Hasina’s ANP-led government.
On Sunday, a Bangladesh court has jailed 253 people including paramilitary guards and male nurses who took part in the mutiny. They have been awarded jail term of upto seven-years. With this the total number of convicted goes upto 4,000 BDR. Another 2,000 are facing trial in the mutiny related cases, according to public prosecutor Manjur Alam.

Prosecution case is that some hospital staff particularly male medical assistants and trainee medical assistants tried to torch bodies of their commanding officers and helped to dump the officers’ bodies in shallow graves near the hospital. 140 male assistants and 80 trainees have now been sent to jail.

Scores of senior army officers were killed during the two-day uprising that began when soldiers at the Bangladeshi Rifles (BDR) headquarters in the capital Dhaka went on a killing spree, dumping the bodies in sewers and shallow graves. The mutiny quickly spread to BDR posts across the country, with thousands of guards taking up arms against senior officers in the worst military revolt in Bangladesh’s history.

It was a crime against humanity in its broadest connotation. The first conviction in the case was delivered in April 2010 when 29 BDR soldiers were sentenced at a special court.  BDR guards accused of more serious offences like murder are facing prosecution in civilian courts.

Admittedly the wheels of justice are moving rather slow to the exasperation of the faithful but Hasina government’s contention is that law should be allowed to take its own course and justice and fair trail must be ensured unto the accused.

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