The police on Saturday launched investigations into the murder of two soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles in custody in March and May. Earlier on Friday night, the police filed two murder cases with the New Market police station in connection with the deaths of the two BDR soldiers, lance nayek Mobarak Hossain and havilder Mahiuddin.

These are the first murder cases filed in connection with the death in custody of any border guards, while 47 soldiers have died since the February 25-26 rebellion at the BDR headquarters. The government investigation committee, formed to probe the death in custody of BDR soldiers, is yet to submit its report even after several extension of deadline.

The cases were filed after the post-mortem examinations confirmed that the two soldiers had been murdered. Sub-inspector Motlubur Rahman filed both the murder cases without naming any accused. ‘The bodies of Mobarak and Mahiuddin bore marks of injuries which were homicidal in nature,’ said sub-inspector Rasul Ahmed Nizami, investigation officer of one the cases, quoting the inquest and autopsy reports. Motlubur Rahman was assigned investigation of the other case.

The officer-in-charge of New Market police station, Kamrul Islam, said the cases were filed against unidentified people but hoped that the identity of the killers would be known through investigation. Police sources said that the two solders were in the custody of the criminal investigation department, Rapid Action Battalion and the army personnel at the BDR headquarters after the late February rebellion.

Mobarak Hossain, posted to Rifles security unit in Chittagong, was arrested after the rebellion at Pilkhana and was under treatment at the BDR hospital, said Shahjahan Miah, a sub-inspector of Lalbagh police, after Mobarak died on March 22. As his condition deteriorated, two police constables of Lalbagh police station took Mobarak to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the attending doctors declared him dead, Shahjahan had said.

The body was sent to the DMCH morgue for autopsy and executive magistrate Nurul Karim Bhuiyan prepared the inquest report. ‘There were blood clots in the hands, legs and back of the deceased while no other injury marks were found on any other parts of the body,’ police said quoting the inquest report. Mobarak, who joined the BDR headquarters on February 18 on deputation for 10 days for the Rifles Week 2009, was supposed to go on a month’s leave after the programme, said the victim’s brother-in-law Farid Ahmed. After the rebellion, Mobarak stayed back at the BDR headquarters and surrendered to the police, he said.

Another family member alleged that Mobarak was tortured to death. Havilder Mohiuddin was declared dead after he was taken to the DMCH at about 11:30pm on May 5. His body also bore injury marks, said DMCH sources. A total of 47 BDR personnel have died in custody under mysterious circumstances since the February 25-26 rebellion. But the BDR authorities claimed that the soldiers had died either of cardiac arrest or any other diseases or committed suicide.

As the death of so many soldiers raised questions, the home ministry on May 14 formed a four-member committee, headed by deputy secretary Zakir Hossain, to probe the incidents and the committee formed with representatives of BDR and police was given 15 days to submit report. But the committee missed the deadline although the government on July 29 gave it one more month to facilitate ‘better investigation into the incidents’ in the aftermath of the February mutiny at the BDR headquarters.

-New Age