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| Bangladesh |
| CID to quiz ministers who tried to strike sepoy deal |
| 2009-04-04 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has decided to take statements of ministers and lawmakers who played roles in negotiating with Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans involved in the February 25-26 carnage at Pilkhana BDR headquarters. "We will soon take statements of the ministers and lawmakers to learn what the mutineers told them at negotiation meetings and over mobile phones," said a top CID official investigating the carnage, seeking anonymity. Their statements will also help identify those BDR personnel. Meanwhile, three more BDR jawans yesterday confessed to their involvement in the carnage before Metropolitan Magistrate Zulfikar Hayat. They are Havilder Masud Iqbal, Nayek Abdul Qaiyum and Sepoy Monirul Alam. Earlier, six BDR members confessed to their involvement in the BDR massacre. Sources said the investigators might talk to Home Minister Sahara Khatun, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, lawmakers Fazle Nur Tapas, Mirza Azam and Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir. When contacted for comments, Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abdul Kahar Akand told The Daily Star that they may talk to the ministers and lawmakers and take their statements, if necessary, to gather information. "It is no secret that they talked to the mutineers--they were quoted in newspapers and shown on television channels," said Akand, the investigation officer of the mutiny case. Sources said examining call lists of mobile phone operators the CID has already identified a number of BDR jawans who talked to the ministers, lawmakers and a few influential persons. Earlier, the CID summoned Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdur Razzaq to the CID headquarters and quizzed him for over three hours. It could not be learnt if the ministers and lawmakers will be summoned too. But CID sources said the investigators have prepared a list of politicians and other influential persons for summoning them for a hearing. The CID sources said they had been carrying out investigation in coordination with the two committees formed by the government and Bangladesh Army to probe the BDR carnage. Talking to The Daily Star, ASP Akand said they yesterday interrogated 13 accused BDR jawans and produced eight more jawans arrested by the Rab on Thursday from the BDR headquarters before the court. The court sent them on three-day remand. Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday said the investigators are gathering information about the involvement of more people. "Fresh evidence and clues are coming out, but those cannot be disclosed now. We hope that the investigation will end very soon," he said while addressing a reception accorded to the successful students of a coaching centre in the city. The eight BDR members arrested Thursday were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital early yesterday for treatment. But the cause of their injuries could not be known. Sources said Lalbagh police took the arrestees to the hospital at about 12:30am and took them back around 3:00am. Our Rangpur correspondent reports: Rab members arrested retired BDR sepoy Mamunur Rashid at his house in north Munshipara in the town yesterday in connection with the Pilkhana carnage. They recovered a bullet and a set of BDR uniform from him. Mamunur Rashid was terminated from job last November for violating discipline, Rab sources said. |
| Posted by:Fred |