By IANS,
Dhaka: A special court in Dhaka Monday jailed 657 paramilitary border guards for their involvement in a mutiny in February 2009.
The mutiny at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Pilkhana near Dhaka Feb 25-26, 2009, had left 74 people dead, including 57 army officers. BDR chief Maj. Gen. Shakil Ahmed was shot dead on the first day of the mutiny.
The court Monday awarded jail terms ranging from four months to seven years to the 657 guards, an officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), as the force is now known, told Xinhua.
The BDR constituted in November 2009 six special courts headed by its chief to try nearly 3,500 guards involved in the mutiny.
With Monday’s verdict, the number of border guards sentenced stood at 3,000, the BGB officer said.
The government tried the accused for offences like murder, attempted murder, looting and arson during the mutiny.