DHAKA: A Bangladeshi special court handed jail terms today to 29 border guards in the first of scores of cases related to last year’s bloody mutiny that left 74 people dead.

Fifty-seven senior army officers were killed in the 33-hour siege that began when soldiers at Bangladeshi Rifles headquarters in Dhaka went on a killing spree.

The 29 men were found guilty of minor charges relating to the mutiny and given jail sentences ranging from four months to seven years, the state prosecutor said.

Those alleged to be responsible for murder, looting and theft will be tried separately in the civil courts, where they could face the death penalty if found guilty.