Mixed reactions over Peelkhana verdict

With 152 border guards sentenced to death and 161 given life terms, there were many who would be expectedly crest-fallen.

The 256 who got between three to ten years in prison may also feel lucky not to have got a longer prison term.

But with 277 acquitted, there were many who would thank their stars.

It took four years after the February 2009 massacre, in which 74 including 57 army officers were killed, for the trial to end.

The huge number of accused has compelled authorities to design the courtroom on a madrassa playground for maximum space, in a way that was never seen before in the country.

The courtroom stretched from West to the East, divided into three compartments separated by grilled barriers instead of having a typical dock for accused.

The number of accused reached 813 as they were brought from Dhaka Central Jail from 8:30am until 10:15am on Tuesday.

They took their seats by order of their names as read out from the charge sheet.

Once the announcement of the verdict was completed after it had begun at 12:33pm, those convicted and the acquitted were driven back to the prison.

The shorter sentences were announced first, followed by the acquittals.

The life terms and death sentences came at the end of the verdict announced by the court of Dhaka's Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman.

Those acquitted clasped each other in joy and shouted, “Marhaba, Marhaba’, their fingers showing the victory sign ‘V’.

The sound of the iron shackles when clasped forced the judge to pause for almost 12 minutes.

Sepoy Jubayer Hossain, who hailed from Rangpur, was one of those acquitted.

From inside the prison van, he shouted, “The victory is for the truth, we are released at last. The court has said we are innocent.”

Nurul Amin from Barisal requested all to pray for him. “Please all of you pray for us.” Subedar Idris Ali accompanied both of them, and fifty others, in the same prison van, all full of joy. The next prison van was also filled with the acquitted. The inmates were celebrating their luck. Former BNP MP Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and local Awami League leader Torab Ali got life sentence. Torab slumped into silence. But Pintu was angry. “I have been convicted without having any witness against me. An innocent man has been convicted.” Pintu continued to wave his hand to the newsmen standing beyond the police barricade 10 to 15 yards away as a prison van drove him back to jail. Gradually names of the acquitted, jailed for different terms and then for life were announced. Then came the time to know who were to walk the gallows. A man rose, anticipating the death sentence. “Give a minute please. You have to allow me a minute. I will accept any conviction after that,” repeated the man in tears. It seemed the man was moon-walking and would not stop crying. The court had to order a policeman to make the man stop. As the policeman approaches Rejaul, telling him that the BGB’s current DG is sitting in court, the trooper went ballistic, a mix of fear and anguish. “DG Sir, DG Sir, save me. I am not that Rejaul. The Rejaul wanted by you is absconding. I am an innocent man. Save me.” Eventually he had to stop talking, but he could not stop wailing loud, as the judge started to announce the death sentence. Many broke into tears. “This is not the end of justice. One day all will be tried by Allah. You will be tried on that day for sentencing a man to death without any evidence,” said someone from the crowded mass of those sentenced to death. While inside the prison van on their way back to prison, they chided the scribes. “Why do you take our pictures? We have been convicted because you fellows deposed,” said an angry trooper. A number of journalists testified in the case.