Bangladesh says 1,000 mutineers wanted for murder

Police in Bangladesh were on Sunday hunting for more than 1,000 border guards accused of murder during a bloody mutiny in which 77 people have so far been confirmed dead.

As the cases were filed against members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), security forces and emergency relief teams dug up rose gardens at the troops' Dhaka headquarters in the search for 70 army officers still missing.

"Cases have been filed against more than 1,000 BDR troops who were involved with the mutiny in Dhaka last week," Nabojit Khisa, a police station chief in Dhaka, told AFP.

Khisa said some of the men would be hanged if found guilty of masterminding the action, which ended late Thursday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met a small group of BDR troops and threatened to end the mutiny by force.

Six of those who met the premier are on the wanted list for the 33-hour killing spree, which was reportedly triggered by long-standing complaints over pay and conditions.

Sheikh Hasina issued an amnesty for those who surrendered, but later said those who committed murder would be punished.

Hundreds of BDR soldiers Sunday queued up outside the barracks ahead of a deadline for them to return to duty after the revolt.

"I've been in hiding for four days because I was worried about the consequences of this," Hossain, 35, told AFP. "I am stunned at how barbaric the killings were. When I heard gunshots I fled out the door in civilian dress."

With rescuers pulling one dead body after another from the shallow graves -- a process shown live on television -- angry army officers called for those behind the attacks to be severely punished.

Anxious relatives of the missing, losing hope four days after their loved ones were last seen alive, watched as those in charge of the operation promised all of the victims would be found.

"We will look in every part of every house and dig up every garden if we have to," fire chief Sheikh Mohammad Shahjalal said. "The search will continue until the last missing officer is found."

Most of the 77 bodies -- many of them riddled with bullet wounds and mutilated by bayonets -- were found in graves concealed under leaves and loose dirt. The BDR chief and his wife were among the dead.

Local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters on Sunday that a special tribunal would be established to try the accused.

Some analysts warned that revenge attacks by outraged army officers and their allies could destabilise the country, which returned to democracy only two months ago after elections replaced a military-backed government.

"There's a legacy of bloodshed in this country. If you spill the blood of others, they might seek revenge," said Ataur Rahman, a professor of politics at Dhaka University.

Tensions in the BDR had simmered for months before reportedly bubbling over when officers rejected appeals for more pay, subsidised food and holidays.

The mutiny was the first major crisis faced by the premier since her landslide win on December 29 in elections hailed by international monitors for their high standard of transparency and fairness.