178 ex-BDR soldiers released on bail
A total of 178 former members of the then Bangladesh Rifles were released from different jails on Thursday, four days after they were granted bail in an explosive case linked to the 2009 BDR mutiny.
The jail authorities freed the BDR members in the case in the morning as their release orders reached the Dhaka Central Jail and three jails in Kashimpur.
As the released former members of BDR came out of the jails, emotional scenes occurred at the jail gates as they embraced their family members waiting there with flowers and garlands to welcome them and reunite after 16 years.
Tears of joy, heartfelt embraces, and a flood of memories marked the end of an agonizing chapter for them, who were finally able to hold their fathers, husbands, and brothers.
Of the released ones, 43 were freed from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, 27 from Kashimpur Central Jail-1, 95 from Kashimpur Central Jail-2, and 13 from Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail, said Jahangir Kabir, deputy inspector general of prisons for Dhaka division.
Currently, 579 former BDR soldiers remain in four jails in connection with the cases related to the mutiny, he said.
Despite being acquitted by both the trial court and the High Court in a murder case related to the mutiny, many of these soldiers had remained in custody in a separate mutiny-related explosive case.
The mutiny in February 25鈥�26, 2009, lasted 30 hours and resulted in the deaths of 74 people, including 57 army officers posted to the then Bangladesh Rifles.
On January 19, Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal judge Md Ibrahim Mia granted bail to 178 ex-BDR soldiers out of 426 who sought bail in the explosive case.
The bail orders were issued on the day amid protests from the families of the detained soldiers in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, demanding their release.
The trial had been stalled for 12 years and resumed recently, with retired Major Syed Md Yusuf testifying as a prosecution witness.
The next hearing in the explosive case is scheduled for February 10. The murder case remains pending before the Appellate Division.
The court has so far recorded testimonies of 284 out of 1,264 witnesses under the Explosive Substances Act.
The trial was stalled since the disposal of the murder case in 2013.
Chief public prosecutor Borhan Uddin told 抖阴精品 that the trial court, for granting bail, gave priority to those soldiers who got acquittal in the murder case but were detained in the explosive case.
Maliha, a young woman from Thakurgaon, had been waiting anxiously with a bouquet of roses at the gate of the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj Thursday morning. As soon as her father walked past the jail gate, she broke into tears, ran to his father, and clutched him.
For Maliha, this was the first time she could hug her father.
Born just three months before the 2009 BDR mutiny, Maliha had never experienced her father鈥檚 affection. 鈥業鈥檝e waited my whole life for this moment,鈥� she said in an emotion-choked voice.
Mostafizur Rahman, one of the released soldiers who talked to reporters outside the Dhaka Central Jail gate, said 鈥榃e were detained for political reasons, despite being innocent.鈥�
His voice carried a mix of relief and bitterness.
鈥榃e always believed that our freedom would come with a change in government. Today, we are free as the Awami League regime was ousted on August 5, 2024, amid the student-led mass uprising. We are grateful to all those who stood by us.鈥�
For Rehena Begum, the day was a day of long-awaited reunion. Standing with her children near the jail gate since morning, she could hardly contain her joy. 鈥楩or 16 years, we lived with the pain of separation. My husband was imprisoned unfairly. Finally, he is coming back to us,鈥� said Rehena.
Her children, who clung to her, were eagerly waiting to see their father for the first time in years.
Sirajul Islam, who traveled from Gaibandha, was there to welcome his brother.
His face reflected both happiness and a lingering sadness. 鈥楾he years my brother lost can never be returned,鈥� he said.
鈥楬e was detained unfairly. He is a victim of the Awami League鈥檚 repression against BDR soldiers. But, today, we are celebrating his freedom,鈥� Sirajul said.
The release of the former BDR members happened five and a half months after the fall of the Awami League regime on August 5, 2024.
The families of the former DBR members believe that this political shift was pivotal in ending years of suffering for their loved ones.
On November 5, 2013, the trial court sentenced 568 soldiers in the murder case. Of them, 152 were awarded death penalty, 162 were handed life imprisonment, and 256 were sentenced to varying jail terms. Of the total 850 accused in the case, 278, mostly former BDR personnel, were acquitted.
In a two-day judgment delivered in November 26鈥�27, 2017, the High Court upheld the death sentences of 139 soldiers and handed life imprisonment to 185 others.
Additionally, it upheld varying jail terms for 200 convicts, while acquitting 45 accused of all charges.
Defence lawyer Aminul Islam told 抖阴精品 that the trial court had initially acquitted 277 soldiers. But after the then Awami League government appealed against the acquittal of 69 individuals, the High Court handed life imprisonment to 20 of them.
In December 2020, the then Awami League government filed 20 appeals with the Appellate Division, challenging the High Court verdict. One of the appeals challenged the High Court鈥檚 acquittal of 16 soldiers.
The lower court sentenced 12 of the 16 soldiers to life imprisonment and handed death penalty to the rest four.
The appeals now remain pending in the Appellate Division.
Aminul Islam noted that the recent 426 bail applications included soldiers who had completed serving the sentences handed down by the High Court, but remained in custody in the explosive case.