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Investigators dig into the past of mutineers
[Bangla Daily Star] Investigators of the BDR carnage are now digging into the past of the mutineers as several questions including the motive behind the BDR carnage still remain unanswered. Although several perpetrators of the BDR Headquarters carnage have already been identified, the investigators made the move to unearth important clues to infiltration of terror elements in the force. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the military investigators who are trying to get the detailed life-sketches of the perpetrators believe any piece of information could lead to a significant breakthrough. The CID and military investigators are working to collect the mutineers' past records from their families and every other possible source. Speaking anonymously, an investigator said the signs of brutality and some other actions in Pilkhana give the impression that members of a disciplined force can't show such cruelty in the name of a mutiny. "Either outsiders directly got involved in the carnage or some people were recruited in the border force in recent years with motivation to commit such a heinous crime. We're still trying to find out the answers to these suspicions by searching backgrounds and in many other ways," he said. The investigator added they would screen the background of the mutineers to find out their past political affiliation, criminal records, if any, educational background [school or madrasa] and links to any suspicious groups or organisations. A few weeks into the investigations Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, who is tasked with coordinating the government activities into the carnage, pointed his finger at militant groups including banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Another investigator said if there is involvement of JMB or any such groups, it would hopefully surface after scrutinising the mutineers' background. CID sources say they have already started collecting the past records of all BDR mutineers through respective police stations. So far 830 mutineers have been arrested and around 130 of them were remanded. Nine BDR members also made confessional statements before magistrates. A CID investigator said, "It's a conventional practice to prepare character and antecedent [C&A] of a suspected criminal when we start to investigate a crime." "This time we are doing the same about the accused BDR personnel to get any other lead which could help us unearth the whole mystery." The investigator said they are preparing C&A of all the suspected mutineers who have already been arrested. "We will collect detailed background of those who led the mutiny, took part directly in the bloodbath and other heinous offences," he added. In the carnage 74 people including 57 army officers were killed. After shooting the army officers the perpetrators charged bayonets on bodies in a way that many of their bodies were mutilated and hard to be recognised. The mutineers also buried many bodies in mass graves inside the Pilkhana HQ and dumped some others into the sewage system. Besides CID investigation, the government and army probe bodies are also working to unearth the mystery of the BDR carnage. They too are trying to gather past information and records of the mutineers. However, the investigators say they have yet to detect whether anyone from outside infiltrated during the mutiny. But they believe the mutiny as well as the carnage was not a result of merely some demands of the BDR personnel. Posted by: Fred 2009-04-05 |
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