Another Jessore suspect held

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday sent a war crimes accused to jail after police produced him before it following his arrest in Keshabpur upazila in Jessore on Sunday night.

Lutfar Morol of Porchakra village in Keshabpur was arrested around 8:00pm on Sunday in his house, Prosecutor Rezia Sultana Chaman told The Daily Star.

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The tribunal asked the jail authorities to take necessary steps for Lutfar's treatment considering his ill state.

The tribunal on May 12 issued arrest warrant against Lutfar and 10 others in connection with a case filed for their alleged involvement in crimes committed in 1971.

The prosecution sought their arrest as the investigation officer found their involvement in war-times crimes while probing the case against former BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shakhawat Hossain from Jessore.

The prosecution on July 27 pressed five charges against 12 people. But, the tribunal on September 8 accepted charges against nine, including Shakhawat and Lutfar, and discharged three-- Moshiar Rahman, Ajihar Morol and Akram Hossain, making the total number of accused in the case nine.

Of the nine accused, three are now in jail while the rest are on the run, the prosecutor said.

The tribunal will pass the next order on September 30, when the officer-in-charge of Keshabpur Police Station is scheduled to submit a report regarding arrest of the others.

Meanwhile, the tribunal deferred the charge hearing in the case against five war crimes accused from Kishoreganj to October 4 as a defence lawyer was absent.

Of the five accused, only Shamsuddin Ahmed is in jail, while Gazi Abdul Mannan, Nasiruddin Ahmed, Hafiz Uddin and Azharul Islam are on the run. Shamsuddin and his son Mainul Islam Pias told the tribunal that the lawyer representing Shamsuddin in court informed them on Sunday that he would not move the case anymore.

When they sought time to appoint a new lawyer, the tribunal deferred the date for charge framing to October 4.