Sahara Khatun, the then Home Minister, submitted her deposition on Wednesday morning in the case over the Pilkhana carnage amid mass mutiny at the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters in February 2009. The deposition submission started at about 9:55am at the court that sat on the playground of Dhaka Alia Madrasa in Bakshibazar area for the mass trial.
Acting metropolitan Judge Dr. Md Akhtaruzzaman heard the deposition as judge of the court.
Earlier, Special Public Prosecutor of the court Mosharraf Hossain Kazal confirmed about her deposition submission to banglanews.
Earlier in the day, accused informed the court that as per court direction, defendants’ lawyers collected written statements from accused regarding the case. But jail authorities tore the papers while the lawyers were returning from jail.
Regarding the matter, the SPP said, “As per verbal order of the judge, he requested Jailer and Deputy Jailer to collect speeches of the accused.”
He alleged that jail authorities violated the court order to hinder the trial procedure.
Defense lawyer Sadar Shamim said, “A total of 630 accused out of 1, 300 submitted their depositions in the case filed under criminal act.”
Abdul Kahar Akhand, senior special superintendent of CID, submitted the charge sheet of the killings case on July 12, 2010 and in the case under the Explosives Act on July 27.
Originally, charge-sheet was submitted against 850 accused in the killings case. Some 834 suspected BDR personnel were sued under the explosive case. Of them, 21 are on the run while three have died.
Among those standing trial are Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Rahim and Habilder Shaofiqul Islam died in the time of investigation and accused Habilder Motiur Rahman died at Dhaka Central Jail during indictment hearing on May 15.
A total of 74 people, including 57 army officers in command of the border-security force, were killed in the bloody mutiny at Pilkhana on February 25-26, 2009. The mutiny had also triggered revolt in other garrisons across the country.
Lalbagh Thana OC Nabajyoti Khisa filed the cases first with Lalbagh Thana and then with New Market Thana. UNB
