Dhaka, March 08: Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina has
said that the recent mutiny in the paramilitary force BDR which
killed 73 "brilliant" Army officers was aimed at triggering a
civil war and warned that the masterminds behind the bloody
revolt still wanted to achieve their goal.
"The aim of the conspirators, who had staged the bloody
incidents at BDR headquarters killing scores of brilliant
Army officers, was to trigger anarchy and push the country to
the brink of a civil war ... They (mutiny masterminds)
still want to set off a civil war," she said during a
discussion at her Awami League party`s meeting here yesterday.
The 33-hour mutiny by the rebel BDR soldiers on February
25-26 had claimed 77 lives, 73 of them Army officers.
However, Hasina said that her government, which came to
power after her party swept the December 29 General Elections,
had successfully tackled the crisis.
She urged all to be alert so that the perpetrators could
not commit similar crimes again in their bid to destroy the
country`s democracy, which was restored after the landmark
polls following two years of state of Emergency.
Hasina also renewed her earlier pledge to bring
the "killers and the conspirators" to justice, even if it
required enacting new laws.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed had earlier said that the
government was now awaiting the investigation reports into the
mutiny in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters here to fix
the mode of trial for the culprits.
"They (culprits) can be tried under special tribunal,
speedy trial tribunal and even in court marshal but we need
to wait for the investigation report to fix the procedure of
the trial and the forum of the trial," he said.
Ahmed said that the Army Act empowered the government to use
the tough law, meant for the military, Navy and Air Force,
also for other disciplined weapon-carrying forces, including
the paramilitary BDR troops, through constituting military
courts to try mutineers.
"But if the investigators come up with the finding that
`outsiders` or people other than soldiers (were involved), it
may appear difficult to court marshal them," the minister
said.
He rejected the idea of trying the rebel soldiers under
the BDR Act, saying it did not incorporate any provision to
try mutineers.
"Under the BDR (act), a soldier could be jailed for as
high as seven years on ordinary disciplinary grounds," Ahmed
said.
Bureau Report
