Pilkhana carnage: Over 200 accused get bail in explosive case
Judge Md Ibrahim Miar of Dhaka Special Tribunal-1 issued the order
A Dhaka court today (19 January) granted bail to more than 200 accused in an Explosive Substances Act case filed over the 2009 Pilkhana carnage.
Judge Md Ibrahim Mia of Dhaka Special Tribunal-1 issued the order during a hearing held in the makeshift court inside Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj.
Prosecutor Sarkar Noor Ershad Siddiqui confirmed the development while talking to journalists following the order.
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He said the court granted bail to those acquitted in the murder case and to individuals whose names were not mentioned by the witnesses.
The estimated number of individuals receiving bail could be over 200, he added.
On 24 December, a seven-member independent commission was formed to re-investigate the 2009 Pilkhana massacre at the Pilkhana headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles – now Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) – which claimed 74 lives, including 57 army officers.
Calls for reinvestigating the BDR massacre grew louder following the fall of the Awami League regime on 5 August.
However, on 15 December, the home ministry unexpectedly informed the High Court that the government had decided to defer forming a commission, citing ongoing appeals in two related cases at the Appellate Division.
This sparked fresh outrage over the interim government's stance. To address the issue, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced on 17 December that a committee would be formed within five working days.
Earlier on 4 November 2024, the interim government appointed 20 special public prosecutors (PPs) in the Explosive Substances Act case filed with Lalbagh Police Station over the 2009 BDR mutiny.
