Dhaka court sends four war crimes suspects to jail

A Dhaka court yesterday sent four war crimes accused, including Jatiya Party lawmaker MA Hannan and his son Rafique Sajjad, to jail after police produced them before it.

Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibul Haque passed the order after Gulshan police produced Hannan and Rafique, and Mymensingh police produced Khandakar Golam Sabbir Ahmed and Mizanur Rahman Mintu before it.

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The court also directed the authorities concerned to send the case documents to the International Crimes Tribunal-1, which ordered the arrests of the accused, by Sunday, court sources said.

Mohammad Ali Sheikh, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Mymensingh Kotwali Police Station, told The Daily Star that they produced the accused before the Dhaka court, as the tribunal was closed yesterday, after consulting with tribunal authorities.

According to relevant rule, an arrestee must be produced at a court within 24 hours of arrest.

Meanwhile, another war crimes accused, Hormuj Ali, who was arrested in the same case, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after sustaining injuries in a road accident on Thursday.

Police arrested MA Hannan, a lawmaker from Trishal (Mymensingh-7 constituency) and presidium member of Jatiya Party, his son and three other war crimes accused on Thursday, hours after the tribunal issued arrest warrants for eight people.

Hannan, alleged general secretary of Mymensingh Peace Committee, an anti-liberation organisation in 1971, and his son was arrested by Gulshan police, while Mymensingh police arrested Khandakar Golam Sabbir Ahmed, Mizanur Rahman Mintu and Hormuj Ali in their respective homes in the district on Thursday.

Three others accused -- Mohammad Abdus Sattar, Mohammad Fakruzzaman and Khandakar Golam Rabbani-- are yet to be detained, prosecution and investigation agency sources said.