The BNP has termed as ‘politically motivated’ the life sentence meted out to its leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu in the Peelkhana carnage case.
A special court in Dhaka on Tuesday sentenced the BNP Joint Organising Secretary for life for helping mutineers to flee following the massacre at the BDR headquarters four years back.
“Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu has been sentenced illegally by being indicted in the false case as a result of a deep-rooted conspiracy,” said BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a news conference.
“Pintu has been indicted (in the case) with ulterior political motive to divert the blame on the government for the Peelkhana BDR headquarters massacre to others,” he said.
Fakhrul demanded his ‘unconditional release’.
A ward-level leader of ruling Awami League, Torab Ali, also got life sentence in the case.
Among the accused members of the paramilitary force, 152 were give death sentence.
Referring to reports of a section of the media that claimed top Awami League leaders were involved in the Peelkhana carnage plot, Fakhrul said: “But that has not been taken cognisance of.”
Asked for BNP reaction to the full verdict, he said: “We’ve no comment on the judgment. It’s a matter of BDR.”
“Our leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu has been indicted in the case illegally. That’s why we’re opposing the verdict,” he said.
Seventy-four people, including 57 army officers, were killed in the Feb 25-26 mutiny in 2009.
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) was renamed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after the mutiny. – bdnews24.com
