Two prime accused in the BDR carnage case – former deputy assistant director Tauhidul Islam and soldier Selim Reza – on Sunday pleaded before a special court “not guilty” and defended their role during the 2009 mutiny.
The Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court 3, set up in the capital’s Bakshibazar, finished reading out the allegations brought by the witnesses against the last 86 accused out of 847. The two prime accused and another defended themselves.
So far, all but one of the 847 accused pleaded “not guilty.” Among them, 14 accused told the court that they would bring witnesses in their favour. The court fixed tomorrow for producing the witnesses.
On September 2, the court ended recording the deposition of 654 prosecution witnesses.
The two-day mutiny broke out at the Pilkhana headquarters in the capital on February 25, 2009, killing at 75 people including 57 army officers deputed to the border force.
A total of 46 prosecution witnesses made allegations against prime accused Tauhid. One of the allegations say he was the person who had led a rebel BDR delegation in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her then official residence Jamuna for negotiation.
Tauhid sought time to speak up and told the court that LGRD State Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Awami League lawmaker Mirza Azam had ordered him to go to Jamuna. He also claimed that the rebels would have killed his family members if he had not gone with the team. After reaching Jamuna, former army chief Moeen U Ahmed called him to a separate room. “He wanted to know who were inside Pilkhana and what they were doing. I told him that I had no idea about that.”
Tauhid said: “When I returned to Pilkhana, the soldiers did not trust me. Even the government delegation started negotiation with another group of BDR members.”
He alleged that Jatiya Party lawmaker M Golam Reza, who had entered Pilkhana to rescue the hostage families, asked the rebels not to release anyone without his consent. Tawhid was frustrated as the MP was not made a witness in the case. Asked, the accused pleaded “not guilty.”
The court also read out the allegations raised by 29 prosecution against soldier Selim Reza, who however, claimed that he had been tortured for 50 days by Rab in custody. He also pleaded “not guilty.”
