Fourth witness implicates ex-MP Shakhawat

A fourth prosecution witness yesterday linked former Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP lawmaker Shakhawat Hossain and his accomplices to the killing of Chadtulla Gazi of Chingra village in Jessore's Keshabpur upazila during the Liberation War in 1971.

Momin Gazi, a nephew of Chadtulla, and the fourth prosecution witness in the case against nine Jessore men including Shakhawat, described the incident before the International Crimes Tribunal-1.

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Earlier, Chadtulla's two sons Gaziur Rahman and Fazlur Rahman Gazi, and freedom fighter Nur Uddin Morol gave testimonies implicating the accused in the killing.

The eight others are Mujibur Rahman, Abdul Khaleq, Lutfar Morol, Billal Hossain, Kazi Ohidul Islam, Aziz Sardar, Aziz Sardar (2), and Ibrahim Hossain.

The nine face five charges. Of them, Shakhawat, Billal and Lutfar are now in jail and have pleaded not guilty. The rest are on the run.

The 70-year-old witness said in the middle of the Bangla month of Bhadra, Shakhawat, along with the accused and 14 to 15 others, went to their house and took him to his uncle's house to pick the latter up.

Failing to find Chadtulla, accused Ibrahim beat him and wanted to know about his uncle's whereabouts, said Momin, adding that at one stage, he escaped and hid in a bush near his uncle's house.

He said he saw the Razakars looting and torching his uncle's house, and when he came out from the hideout, he saw his aunt Ayesha Begum carrying his cousin Atiar in her arms.

His aunt told him that when she requested Shakhwat to stop the torching, Shakhawat kicked her, said Momin, adding that three ribs of his cousin were broken as her aunt fell on the ground due to Shakhawat's attack, and he died after 17 days due to lack of treatment.

On the 28th of Ashwin, the nine accused, along with 15 to 20 Razakars, detained his uncle from his house before taking him to Chingra Razakar camp, he said.

Razakars tortured him for four days in the camp and Shakhawat shot him dead on the bank of the Kopotakkho River on the first day of Bangla month Kartik, said Momin, adding that a shopkeeper of his locality told him about the killing.

Later, they also learnt about his uncle's killing from Nur Uddin, another detainee of the camp.

The case proceeding was adjourned until today after the defence completed his cross-examination.