Summary:
- 168 former BDR members freed after 16 years in explosive-case bail, marking a major legal milestone.
- They were released from Dhaka Central Jail and Kashimpur facilities following court orders.
- The event stems from the 2009 Pilkhana mutiny, which claimed 74 lives, including 57 army officers.
- Appeals and government-appointed commissions continue to re-examine the Pilkhana tragedy and related charges.
A total of 168 former BDR members have been released after 16 years in prison, having been granted bail in an explosives-related case. They walked out of Dhaka Central Jail and several units of Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur on January 23, with prison officials confirming the official list and subsequent release. According to Additional Inspector General of Prisons, Colonel Mohammad Mustafa Kamal, “We received the names of 168 former BDR members, and they have now been released.”
Of the 168 individuals, 41 were freed from Dhaka Central Jail, 26 from Kashimpur-1, 89 from Kashimpur-2, and 12 from Kashimpur High Security Jail. The bail approvals came after Dhaka’s Special Tribunal-2, presided over by Judge Mohammad Ibrahim Miah, published the names of 178 eligible detainees, of whom 168 were promptly processed for release.
This case traces back to the February 25–26, 2009 mutiny at what was then the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Headquarters in Pilkhana, where 74 people, including 57 army officers, lost their lives. Two separate cases were filed, one for murder and another under explosives charges. In the murder trial, concluded on November 5, 2013, 850 people were tried; among them, 152 received the death penalty, 160 got life sentences, and 256 were handed varying prison terms, while 278 were acquitted. In 2017, the High Court upheld 139 death sentences and 185 life sentences, while sentencing 228 others to prison and acquitting 283. Appeals and leave-to-appeal motions related to that ruling remain pending.
Meanwhile, the explosives case commenced in 2010 against 834 individuals, many of whom continued to serve prison terms as the proceedings proceeded intermittently. Recently, government authorities formed a commission to reinvestigate the Pilkhana events, assigning it a 90-day timeframe to submit findings. Family members of both victims and defendants have for years urged a thorough review of the evidence, highlighting what they regard as potential miscarriages of justice.
With the release of the newly bailed former BDR personnel, hopes have risen for what many describe as a renewed pursuit of due process. Observers note that proceedings regarding the explosives case still carry ongoing implications. As legal challenges in the related murder trial continue through the appeals process, those impacted by the Pilkhana tragedy await further clarity.
According to prison and security officials, the detainees were only released after thorough vetting. One family member expressed relief upon seeing their loved ones free, stating in an emotional remark, “We have waited so long; it feels like we can finally breathe again.”
Source: Kalbela
