Charge sheet in Sept, 3,000 jawans found involved

BDR Mutiny
Charge sheet in Sept, 3,000 jawans found involved
The charge sheet in BDR mutiny case might be submitted in mid-September by CID, while a military investigation found 3,000 border security force jawans’ involvement in the incident.
“We’re working hard to submit the charge sheet by August, but it might not be possible as the task is quite huge,” said a source in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is tasked with investigating the case.
A CID investigator said about 100 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans might have been directly involved in the killings of army officers during the mutiny.
“We’ve yet to compile all the figures from the investigation. But I assume that the figure might be around 100,” said the CID investigator wishing anonymity.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday that the CID investigation is nearing completion.
CID Special Superintendent of Dhaka Metro Zone Mir Shahidul Islam however declined to give an approximate timeframe for submitting the charge sheet when The Daily Star inquired.
He however said, “We’re focusing on fairness and speed of the investigation to ensure justice.”
Investigation officer of the case, CID’s Senior Assistant Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, said they arrested 1,706 people so far, most of whom are BDR jawans who were present at the headquarters during the mutiny, and 267 of them already gave confessional statements.
Following the mutiny in Pilkhana Headquarters of BDR in the capital, jawans of different units of the border security force across the country also came out of their barracks and mutinied, looting arms and ammunition from their arsenals on February 25 and 26.
In the aftermath of the mutiny, 40 cases were filed in 28 districts outside the capital and a total of 1,721 BDR jawans were arrested on charges of mutiny outside the headquarters.
The mutiny left 74 people including 57 army officers murdered, prompting deployment of 400 CID personnel, over 1,500 Rapid Action Battalion members, around 2,000 Dhaka Metropolitan Police personnel, and many members of the army in the investigation.
SCREENING COMPLETED
As a part of a separate investigation Military Intelligence recently completed screening around 8,000 BDR jawans who were inside Pilkhana during the mutiny, sources said.
Through the screening, 3,000 BDR members were found involved in criminal offences during the mutiny, including murder, looting, arson, and torture.
CID officials said the screening done by the army has been a tremendous help for them.
The screening was done through examining video footages, still pictures, close circuit camera footages, and on the basis of statements given by detained BDR personnel.

Courtesy of The Daily Star