& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Of tears, cheers and angers

Wasim Bin Habib andTuHiN Shubhra Adhikary
The noise of the shackles heralded their entrance into the courtroom. Many of them were visibly trembling, perhaps at the thought of the punishment awaiting them.
The courtroom was quiet but it was anybody's guess that their hearts were pounding fast.
One after another, 823 accused entered the room and took their seats. Some sat on the floor while some others were standing in the makeshift court set up for holding trial of the BDR carnage case.
As the judge entered the courtroom around 12:30pm, everyone present there turned silent, extra cautious.
When the judge pronounced the sentences of imprisonment of different terms, the convicts broke down in frustration but they were immediately taken to the prison.
FROM PAGE 1
But the 277 anxious accused burst into cheers when the judge pronounced their acquittal. The silence of the courtroom was broken.
"Allahu Akbar," cheered many of them. Others hugged each other and wept in joy.
The mood of the courtroom, however, reversed a few minutes later when several accused stood up and screamed at the judge as he handed down life terms to 161.
One of them said: "I don't need a life term. Hang me, hang me."
Some others shouted at the judge, saying: "You will face Allah's wrath."
At one corner stood an elderly man, who said, "I am 63 years old, and I have not committed any crime. So why do I have to serve a life term?"
Just beside him was a young man, who
screamed at the judge: "There was no witness against me. Allah will not forgive you."
A defence lawyer then took the loudspeaker and asked them to be quiet. "I have fought for you. Please keep quiet, we will appeal. Please calm down."
Another convict, who got life sentence, said, "I just came here to give deposition. I have no fault, sir."
Things turned real bad when the judge started pronouncing the death sentences. One convict raised his hand and said, “Sir, please give me a minute; 1 have something to say. I have a wife and children, what would they do in my absence?"
The court continued to deliver the verdict and he continued to plead for some time to speak.
"You are handing down the death sentences so easily? Allah will try you," cried
many others.
The judge left the courtroom after pronouncement of the verdict, amid screams of the convicts.
On their way to the prison van, some convicts hurled abuse at the newsmen who tried to take their photos.
One convict said, "There was only one witness who testified against me. I got this punishment because of you |the newsmen], because of your photos."
Meanwhile, family members of the accused expressed anger as they were not allowed to enter the court premises. They also alleged they were not given “enough opportunity" to defend.
"We didn't get the opportunity given |to an accused] in the CMM [Chief Metropolitan Magistrate] court," said a 62-year-old brother of an accused.
The Daily Star spoke with family members of six accused outside the court and all of them expressed frustration as they were not allowed to enter the court.
A few family members had taken position on a lane around 20 yards from the court premises, but they were driven away by law enforcers around 12:00pm. Some of them later took position around 300/400 yards away from the premises.
"Why are we not allowed inside the courtroom? Even the family members of the war crimes accused were allowed to enter the tribunal," said a youth, whose brother-in-law got life sentence.
Azizul Haque, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station, said the family members were not allowed to enter the courtroom on security grounds.