BDR carnage trial to be held at Dhaka Central Jail, not Alia Madrasa ground: Ministry

The trial for the BDR massacre case will take place in a temporary court at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj instead of the previously planned location at the Dhaka Alia Madrasa ground.

The Ministry of Law issued a notification in this regard on Sunday (Jan 12).

The notification says, “The BDR carnage case will be heard in the temporary court at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, rather than the temporary court set up in the field next to the government Alia Madrasa and Dhaka Central Jail in the Bakshi Bazar area of Dhaka.”

The decision follows protests on January 9 by students who opposed the establishment of a temporary court at the Alia Madrasa ground in Old Dhaka’s Bakshi Bazar.

Human chain at DU demands release of innocent BDR members

During the protests, the courtroom set up in the madrasa compound was also set on fire.

The students said that the ground had long been used by the City Corporation and claimed it would remain under their control after the July Uprising.

In December 2023, the then-mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, faced significant criticism for inaugurating the Alia Madrasa ground as the ‘Bakshi Bazar Central Playground’ following its renovation.

This move had sparked protests and sit-ins from students, who accused the City Corporation of occupying the ground.

On February 25 and 26, 2009, 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a mutiny at the Border Guard Headquarters in Pilkhana.