Fifty army men to face court-martial next month
DHAKA, Mar 28: Court-martialling of 50 people will start from April
for their involvement in a plot, hatched by a group of rogue army
officers, retired and serving, to topple the government. A court of
inquiry has already completed its work after recording statements from
a number of suspects, including retired and serving army officers and
their associates, a highly placed source in the army said. "The court
of inquiry has, in the last three months, questioned a number of army
officers stationed at various cantonments," a senior army officer
preferring anonymity told The Independent on Wednesday.
"We are compiling the inquiry reports. We hope to start the court
martial sometime in April ," he said."The names of these officers were
found by the court of inquiry," the official added.
According to the Army Act, the accused may face a range of
punishments, including death, depending on the level of their
involvement in the foiled plot against the democratically elected
government, he said.
"The accused officers have extreme religious views. Some of them,
including the fugitive Maj. Zia [Syed Mohammad Ziaul Huq], were
actively engaged in the execution of the plot. They maintained
contacts with like-minded officers in different cantonments, including
the Dhaka cantonment, over mobile phones and the Internet," the source
said.
The source also said they are hunting for the fugitive Maj Zia and a
non-resident Bangladeshi, Ishraq Ahmed, who is probably lying low in
Hong Kong.Tracking phone calls to the two ringleaders, it was found
that some political leaders, banned Islamist organizations and
convicted killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who are hiding
abroad, had links to the plot, the sources said.
The authorities concerned formed five courts of inquiry in as many
cantonments — Dhaka, Bogra, Commilla, Ghatail and Savar — to identify
those who were involved in the plot. They also arrested two retired
army officers: Lt Col (Retd) Ehsan Yusuf and Maj Zakir (Retd).
The Bangladesh Army, on January 19, told reporters at a press
conference that a plot, hatched by a group of derailed retired and
serving army officers, to topple the government had been foiled.
A timely alert by the military intelligence about a possible coup
attempt helped the army keep the plotters under strict surveillance
and finally foil the attempt.
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