In Bangladesh, Six hundred and fifty-seven jawans of the Border Guards Bangladesh have been found guilty by a special court on various charges for their involvement in the February 2009 mutiny in Pilkhana headquarters. The Special Court Number Seven headed by BGB Director General Major General Rafiqul Islam which delivered its verdict on Monday awarded the maximum punishment of seven years to 108 jawans of the 657 found guilty while the remaining persons have been sentenced to different jail terms varying from six years to four months. The court also fined each of the jawans hundred takas each while it also acquitted nine out of the total number of 667 jawans who faced trial which began on March 31 last year. The BGB jawans were convicted on various charges which included defiance of the Director General’s order, not desisting the rebels from the mutiny, not informing the higher authorities about the mutiny and taking part and expressing solidarity with the mutiny which left 74 people dead including 57 army officials.AIR correspondent reports, this is perhaps first time in the history of Bangladesh that six hundred and fifty seven people have been convicted by the BGP Special court in a single case and it is part of the process of trials that have been conducted over the last several months under the erstwhile BDR act. Nearly three thousand jawans have been punished by various special courts for their alleged involvement in the February 2009 mutiny of the Bangladesh Rifles which has now been renamed as Border Guards Bangladesh. Apart from the trial in the special courts which can award a maximum punishment of seven years, a separate trial is also being conducted in a civil court based on the charge sheet filed by the criminal investigation department against 801 BGB jawans and 23 civilians on charges of conspiracy, murder, arson looting and torture. The accused may face the maximum punishment of death penalty in this case if found guilty.