HC orders to give security to 3 BDR carnage judges

The High Court today directed the government to arrange adequate security for three of its judges now hearing the death references and appeals of 2009 Pilkhana carnage case.

The three judges hearing the appeals and death references are: Justice Md Shawkat Hossain, Justice Abu Zafor Siddique and Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder.

The same three-member bench passed the order on suo moto move (on its own) under current law and order situation, Deputy Attorney General AKM Zahid Sarwar Kajol told The Daily Star.

A total of 74 people, including 57 army officials, were slain during mutiny inside the erstwhile Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh) at Pilkhana in Dhaka on February 2009.

In what was the biggest criminal case of Bangladesh’s history, a Dhaka court in November, 2013 handed death penalty to 150 BDR mutineers and two civilians, and sentenced 161 others to a life behind bars for their role in the mutiny.

It also handed down rigorous imprisonment, ranging from three to 10 years, to 256 people, mostly BDR jawans.