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| Bangladesh |
| 53 jawans plead guilty of mutiny |
| 2010-01-25 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Fifty-three of the 62 accused BDR mutineers of 19 Rifle Battalion in Feni yesterday pleaded guilty and begged for mercy at a BDR special court. The court framed charges against the 62 accused after hearing both prosecution and defence, reports a correspondent from Feni. It also took the mercy pleas into cognisance. This is the second instance that accused BDR mutineers begged for mercy. Earlier, sixteen BDR jawans of 7 Rifle Battalion in Satkhira begged for mercy before the BDR Special Court-1. Prosecutor Lt Col Gazi Md Salahuddin, commander of 19 Rifle Battalion, read out the charges against them before the BDR Special Court-3 at the 19 Rifle headquarters at Joylaskar of Dagonbhuiyan upazila. When the court asked the accused BDR jawans whether they are guilty or not, 53 of them pleaded guilty and begged for mercy. Nine others, however, pleaded not guilty and claimed they were not involved in the mutiny. All accused preferred to have a departmental officer as their defence lawyer instead of hiring counsels from outside. The three-member court, headed by BDR Director General Maj Gen M Mainul Islam, took deposition of four witnesses and adjourned the proceedings till 9:00am today. Two other members of the court are BDR officials Lt Col Md Akhteruzzaman and Maj Md Maqsudul Alam. On December 21 last year, the court fixed yesterday for framing charges in the case and adjourned the trial proceedings till the day. Some members of the Rifle Battalion under the Comilla sector took part in the mutiny by firing blanks and putting up barricades on the road on February 26 following the revolt at the Pilkhana BDR headquarters. Police later filed a case against the BDR jawans in this connection. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Sure beats 'cirrhosis of the liver' and 'cardiac arrest' |
| Posted by: john frum 2010-01-25 19:32 |