The High Court has issued a ruling asking why there has been no re-investigation into the killings during the 2009 BDR mutiny at Dhaka’s Pilkhana headquarters.
The court also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to address an application requesting a re-investigation of the Pilkhana murder case.
The bench, led by Justice Farah Mahbub, issued the ruling on Tuesday.
Prior to this, Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that the re-investigation into the BDR mutiny killings would begin soon, adding: “There will and must be a re-investigation of the BDR murders. An investigation team will be formed soon.”
On February 25-26, 2009, 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a violent uprising at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka.
The incident attracted international attention and prompted major changes, including renaming the force as Border Guard Bangladesh and changing the uniform.
The trial for the mutiny itself took place in a BGB court, while the murder charges were tried in the conventional judicial system.
Two cases were filed in connection with the incident, one under the Explosives Act and another for murder.
In 2013, 850 individuals were convicted in the murder case – 152 were sentenced to death, 160 to life imprisonment, and 256 received various terms. Another 278 people were acquitted.
In November 2017, the High Court upheld the death sentences for 139 defendants, sentenced 185 to life, and handed various sentences to 228 others. Meanwhile, 283 were acquitted. A total of 54 accused, including 15 who passed away before the verdict, were removed from the judgment.
Appeals have been filed by 226 convicts seeking reconsideration, and the state has also filed appeals to challenge the acquittals of 83 individuals.
The Explosives Act case involving 834 accused began in 2010 but was subsequently halted to prioritize the murder case proceedings.
Renewed calls for a comprehensive investigation into the BDR mutiny have emerged since the interim government took charge.
