11 charged with war crimes in Mymensingh

The prosecution yesterday pressed four specific charges against 11 Mymensingh men in a case filed for allegedly committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.

Prosecutors submitted formal charges and other documents to the International Crimes Tribunal-1 through its registrar office, a day before the scheduled date for submitting the charges.

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The 11 were “involved” with Razakar Bahini, the Pakistan occupation army's auxiliary force, during the Liberation War and “committed” crimes which include killing of four people, torture on nine, looting, arson, abduction and confinement in Pagla Police Station of Mymensingh, according to the prosecution.

They are from Pagla and five of them are now in jail, Prosecutor Rezia Sultana Chaman told The Daily Star.

The prosecution yesterday prayed to the tribunal to issue arrest warrants for the six other accused, said Rezia.

Khalilur Rahman Mir alias Khalilur Rahman, 62, Md Samsuzzaman alias Abul Kalam, 65, Mohammad Abdullah, 62, Mohammad Abdul Malek Akand alias Abul Hossain, 68, and Md Rois Uddin Azadi alias Akkel Ali, 74, are in prison.

Samsuzzaman, Abdullah and Rois fled the area after the war. Since then, Samsuzzaman has been living in Pabna, Abdullah in Dhaka and Rois in Rajshahi, according to tribunal's investigation agency.

The prosecution, however, did not name the six other accused.

On February 20 this year, the investigation agency completed probe into the case and said to have found evidence against the 11 over their alleged involvement in wartime crimes. It handed over the probe report and other documents to the Chief Prosecutor Office of the tribunal on that day.

The four charges are: killing of Shahabuddin alias Khoka, a local organiser of the Liberation War of Sadhua village; killing of Joidhar Khan alias Taru, another local organiser of the war, and looting and torching of his houses in Sadhua village; and killing of Toiab Ali of the same village; and killing of freedom fighter Nur Hossain of Rouha village. 

Meanwhile, the tribunal accepted a prosecution's petition seeking permission for the tribunal's investigation agency to interrogate a Rajshahi man, who stands accused in a case filed over wartime offences, at safe home of the tribunal's investigation agency.

As per the order, investigators would be allowed to quiz Abdus Samad Musa alias Firoz Kha, 65, for one day on April 12, Prosecutor Zahid Imam told this newspaper.

Musa was a listed Razakar in Putia upazila in 1971, Zahid said, adding that he is now in jail.