High Court's BDR mutiny verdict greeted with cheers and tears

Some breathed a sigh of relief while some broke down in despair as the High Court delivered the verdict on the 2009 Peelkhana carnage on Monday.

Families of 846 accused thronged the court that upheld death sentences for 139 people for their roles in the mutiny at the border guards’ headquarters in Dhaka that took lives of 74 people, 57 of them army officers.

Never before had so many accused, 850 in total, been tried in a single case in the history of Bangladesh.

The three-member bench headed by Justice Md Shawkat Hossain sentenced 185 to life in prison and handed various jail terms to 228. A total of 288 people were acquitted. Six accused persons had died during the hearing.

Wife of Nayek Subedar Ali Akbar, who was transferred to Peelkhana only four months before the carnage took place, was found sharing the news of her husband’s acquittal with profound joy.

Her face beaming, Comilla resident Rehana Akter called up her daughter on the mobile phone and said: “Your father has been released.”

Among her three children, daughter ‘Shompa’ studies at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and one studies at tenth grade.

“Justice has been served. We had to spend a lot of money to continue the legal fight but in the end I could secure the verdict in my favour,” Rehana said.

Billal Hossain Khan, who had been behind bars since the case had started, was acquitted on Monday. He used to work at the MT unit of the Sadar Battalion.

“We have got justice after a long wait,” said his son-in-law Salauddin.

While Rehana and Salauddin were elated, Bakul Begum broke into tears outside court.

The court upheld death sentence for her son Abul Bashar who worked as a signalman.

“We have not got justice, we will appeal. The court has ordered death for my son who is innocent,” the mother told bdnews24.com.

“Bashar is the eldest among my three children,” said Bakul, a resident of Dhamrai. The BDR mutiny had destroyed her family, she went on.

Similar reactions came from Jannatul Ferdous who was left devastated by the verdict that upheld death for her father Subedar Major Zakir Hossain.

Jannat claimed that her father was not present at Peelkhana when the carnage took place.

“My mother Nargis Fatema worked as a nurse at the BDR hospital inside Peelkhana. We lived in a house there. My father was out in Savar to buy land on that day. He has been framed by false witnesses,” said Jannat who lost her mother during the shootout inside Peelkhana and the body was never found.

Two of Jannat’s uncles, ‘Al Amin’ and ‘Foysal’, have been sentenced to life in prison. Al Amin was posted at Naikkhongchharhi Battalion-15 while Foysal was deputed at Sunamganj Battalion-10.

The High Court acquitted Sepoy Atikur Rahman who otherwise would have had to serve out life term by the lower court’s order. His brother Kamrul Hasan said: “We have got justice after nine years of wait. We have gone penniless in the process but still we thank the almighty for the result.”

Atikur had been behind bars since beginning of the trial. His daughter ‘Nasa’ was born in 2008 and is now in her teens.

“Atikur also stands accused in a case under the Explosives Act. We can get him out once that is resolved,” Kamrul told bdnews24.com.