[Bangla Daily Star] The trial for the BDR mutiny in Satkhira began yesterday through pressing of charges against 60 members of 7 Rifles Battalion in a special BDR court at 41 Rifles Battalion Headquarters.BDR has set up six special courts to try the BDR personnel with links to the February 25-26 mutiny at its headquarters in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country under the Bangladesh Rifles Order, 1972.
The three-member bench headed by BDR Director General Maj Gen M Mainul Islam sat at 3:10pm at a makeshift courtroom.
None of the accused was produced before the court.
During the sixty-minute proceedings, complainant Subedar Maj MM Sarowar Jahan of 7 Rifles Battalion read out allegations against the 60 suspected mutineers as per a court order.
Of them, 34 are now in Satkhira jail and the rest have been detained, the BDR chief told journalists after adjournment of the proceedings.
The special court-1, which will sit again at 10:00am today, gave an order to produce the accused before it.
Subedar Maj MM Sarowar Jahan and prosecutor Lt Col Badrul Alam, also commanding officer of 7 Rifles Battalion, told the court that the 60 BDR personnel supported the mutiny at the BDR Pilkhana Headquarters and were ready to revolt.
They threatened and misbehaved with superior officers and their family members. The BDR members also carried arms and ammunitions without permission, the prosecutor said.
The BDR personnel also called upon other soldiers to join the revolt and brought out a procession chanting slogans in support of the Pilkhana mutiny.
The prosecutor told the court that there are sufficient evidence and documents against the accused.
They said the allegations against the accused had been found true through a nine-month-long investigation led by Maj Mokaddes.
The court accepted the statement of the prosecutor and took cognigence of the crimes against the accused.
The BDR DG said if found guilty, they might face imprisonment up to seven years.
Lt Col Gazi Khalid Hossain and Maj Lutful Karim are other members of the bench.
Deputy Attorney General Khasruzzaman was present as a law officer to advise the bench while Mosharraf Hossain Kajal and Sahidur Rahman stood as senior public prosecutors on behalf of the state.
A sedition case was filed with Shyamnagar Police Station against 34 soldiers of 7 Rifles Battalion at Nildumur.
Mutiny took place at two places -- 41 Rifles Battalion and 7 Rifles Battalion headquarters -- in Satkhira.