MP, 7 others charged with war crimes

The prosecution has pressed six charges against eight Mymensingh men including Jatiya Party lawmaker MA Hannan and his son for their alleged crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

After receiving the formal charges and other documents, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday fixed December 11 to decide about taking the charges into cognisance.

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Hannan, 80, lawmaker from Trishal in Mymensingh, is the second sitting lawmaker facing charges of committing crimes during the War. Executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was arrested in December 2010 when he was a lawmaker of BNP, the then opposition in parliament.

The other accused are Hannan's son Rafique Sajjad, 62, Khandakar Golam Sabbir Ahmed, 69, Mizanur Rahman Mintu, 63, Hormuj Ali, 73, Mohammad Abdus Sattar, 64, Mohammad Fakruzzaman, 61, and Khandakar Golam Rabbani, 63.

Of the eight, Sattar, Fakruzzaman and Rabbani are on the run, while the rest including Hannan are behind bars.

The tribunal's investigation agency on July 11 said to have found evidence against the eight and handed over the probe report, statements of the witnesses and other documents to the chief prosecutor's office.

The prosecution submitted the formal charges and other documents to the tribunal on Sunday through its registrar's office. Prosecutor Rezia Sultana Chaman mentioned it before the tribunal yesterday.

Most of the accused were either involved with Muslim League or Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami during the War, according to the agency. Both Muslim League and Jamaat fought against the country's independence.

Currently, they are involved in the politics of Jatiya Party and Jamaat, it added.

The accused had links with three torture camps set up at Mymensingh District Rest House, East Pakistan Agricultural University campus, now Bangladesh Agricultural University, and Hannan's house on Rambabu Road under Kotwali Police Station in the district, according to the agency.

The charges are abduction, torture and killing of sculptor Abdur Rashid of Purohitpara in Sadar upazila in between April 23 and 24; killing of Jatish Chandra Chakrabarty Sentu of Bolar Hindupara in Trishal on August 2, injuring two others and torching his houses; abduction, torture and killing of Abdur Rahman of Boiral Munshipara in between August 7 and 9; looting and torching the house of Abdur Rahman; abduction, torture and killing of Khandakar Abdul Ali Ratan of Jail Road under Sadar upazila in between November 17 and December 7; and abduction and torture of Abed Hossain Khan of Natun Bazar under Sadar upazila and KM Khalid Babu, former Awami League lawmaker from the district in 1971.

SHERPUR CASE

The tribunal has meanwhile directed the prosecution to submit an investigation report, if they have any, on January 23 in a case filed against SM Aminuzzaman Faruk, an alleged Razakar from Sherpur, who allegedly committed war crimes in 1971.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque fixed the date following a three-month time petition moved by prosecutor Rezia Sultana Chaman. Before that she submitted a progress report on investigation against Faruk.

Faruk, 58, of Eshibpur village in Nokla upazila of the district, was arrested on August 23 following an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal. He is now behind bars.

Investigation in the case began on November 19 last year and the investigation officer has already found “his involvement” in at least two incidents of murder committed in 1971, according to the prosecution.