Staff Reporter :
The nation marks the 10th anniversary of the atrocious carnage at Pilkhana BDR headquarters yesterday.
At a total of 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the carnage.
On 27 November 2017, the High Court announced the verdict in which it awarded death penalty to 139, life sentence to 185, and different jail terms to 200 for their involvement in the massacre during the ‘mutiny’.
The HC, however, is yet to release the full text of the verdict.
Defense lawyers Aminul Islam and Shamim Sikder told journalists that the full text of the HC verdict has not yet been released.
They also said the convicted accused would submit their pleas before the Appellate Division after they receive the copy of the full text of the HC verdict.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam also said, “As far as I know defense lawyers have not yet received the verdict’s copy.” On 25 February, 2009, several hundred Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB) men rose up in armed revolt at Darbar Hall during the three-day ‘BDR Week’ inside the Pilkhana headquarters and killed 74 people, including 57 deputed army officers.
The mutiny however ended the following day (26 Feb) with the surrender of the rebel along with firearms, ammunition and grenades following negotiations with the government and the BDR rebels. Following the mutiny, the paramilitary force was later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
A total of 58 cases were filed one for serious crimes, including murder and looting, and the rest for mutiny, in connection with the incident.
Some 152 people were sentenced to death and 423 others to different jail terms and 277 others acquitted in the country’s largest-ever killing case by a lower court.
