Bangladesh begins trial of 800 troopers indicted for mutiny

From Farid Ahmed, For CNN

A court on Wednesday began the trial of more than 800 Bangladesh border officers for their role in a 2009 mutiny.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Border guards accused of rebelling against their officers in 2009
More than 800 troopers face trial on charges including murder, rape, arson, conspiracy
The charges say the mutineers killed dozens of officers

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Bangladesh

Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- A Bangladesh court on Wednesday begins the trial of more than 800 paramilitary troopers accused of a mutiny against their officers two years ago, police and court officials said.

The accused troopers, who worked as border guards, were indicted on charges of murder, rape, arson, looting weapons and conspiracy for mutiny.

The government has set up a makeshift court adjoining the central jail in Dhaka, the capital, to accommodate the large number of defendants in the case.

The accused also include 23 civilians, including a former lawmaker from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu. The BNP said the indictment of Pintu was politically motivated.

Huge contingents of police were deployed in and around the makeshift court in an effort to avoid violence.

State prosecutor Mosharrof Hossain Kazal told CNN that 824 people were charged and 21 had been on the run since the mutiny ended.

"If proved guilty, the accused may face penalty from life-term imprisonment to death sentence," he said.

"All accused will have the right to appeal to a higher court against the trial court judgment," Kazal said.

Officials said Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Zahirul Haque would conduct the trial, which could last nearly a year.

In February 2009, several thousand armed soldiers from the Bangladesh Rifles, a border guard force, took control of the BDR's headquarters in Dhaka for two days. The charges say the mutineers massacred 74 people, including 57 Bangladesh army officers who were assigned to the BDR, and took hostages, including officers' families.

The dead included the BDR chief, Maj. Gen. Shakil Ahmed, and his wife.

The BDR mutineers were protesting for better pay and benefits. They also demanded withdrawal of all army officers from the force.

The prime responsibility of the force, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is to guard the country's land border, which is more than 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) long. The BDR was recently renamed the Border Guards of Bangladesh.