4th person accuses Hasan of shooting FF's father

A fourth person yesterday testified that war crimes accused Syed Hasan Ali shot dead her cousin Tofazzal Hossain and tortured her father in Kishoreganj on August 23, 1971 accusing their sons of being freedom fighters of the Liberation War.
International Crimes Tribunal-1 also recorded the testimony of Press Institute of Bangladesh Assistant Cataloguer Rabiul Alam in the war crimes case against three alleged Bagerhat Razakars -- Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, Khan Akram Hossain and Abdul Latif Talukder.
It adjourned until April 5 hearing of a contempt petition against Tajul Islam, a counsel of war criminal ATM Azharul Islam, and five leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and pro-Jamaat student organisation Islami Chattra Shibir for their statements before the media after a verdict.
Meanwhile, the investigation officer of another war crimes case testified that Mahidur Rahman and Afsar Hossain alias Chutu were directly and indirectly involved in killings, mass killing, arson and other crimes against humanity in a bid to annihilate freedom fighters, pro-liberation people, Awami League men and Hindus.
 

HASAN'S CASE
Local Razakars, the Pakistani occupation army's auxiliary force, had informed Razakar commander Hasan Ali of Tofazzal's son Shahjahan Bhuiyan and her brother Kamruzzaman going to India for training, said Mahfuza Akter, 61.
The 23rd prosecution witness told the three-member tribunal led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim that the Razakars attacked at midnight, beating up Tofazzal and tying her family up with bed sheets.
"They dragged my parents out of the room. All the Razakars were equipped with firearms," said Mahfuza, adding that she heard gunshots and afterwards the Razakars looted valuables and left. Around 4:00am, Emdad, another son of Tofazzal, came and broke down in tears. "Razakar Hasan Ali shot dead my father in the pond behind our house," she quoted Emdad as saying. Informed by Emdad, they went to an army camp in Kishoreganj and traded Kamruzzaman for release of her parents. Kamruzzaman too was released once an army officer examined him and found no evidence of him being in training, she added. 
State-appointed defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan cross-examined Mahfuza. Hasan faces six charges of alleged involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide.
 

MAHIDUR, AFSAR'S CASE
ZM Altafur Rahman, the 10th and last prosecution witness, told International Crimes Tribunal-2 that he started investigations on November 2, 2014 and visited the crime scenes several times and recorded statements of 24 witnesses.
Evidence showed that Mahidur and Chutu were activists of Muslim League, an anti-liberation party, in 1971 and joined Razakar Bahini in Chapainawabganj's Shibganj upazila during the Liberation War, he said. Altafur exhibited several documents collected during investigations.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan adjourned proceedings till today, when Altafur will face cross-examination.