Two witnesses link four to killings of relatives

The 12th prosecution witness in a war crimes case against five alleged Razakars of Kishoreganj's Karimganj upazila yesterday linked four of them to her husband's killing and the 13th implicated one of the four in her brother's killing during the 1971 Liberation War.

Meanwhile, the two-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice Shahinur Islam sent a war crimes accused from Moulvibazar to jail after police produced him. It also fixed December 31 to pass further orders. The tribunal's Chairman Justice Anwarul Haque was on leave.

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Akmal Ali Talukdar, from Rajnagar upazila's Ranchgaon village and an alleged member of a local Razakar Bahini, was arrested on Thursday hours after the tribunal issued arrest warrants against him and nine other accused from Gaibandha and Moulvibazar.

KISHOREGANJ

In her elaborate description, Akhter Hafiza Khatun told the tribunal that her husband martyr Abdul Gafur was an Awami League supporter who used to help freedom fighters.

Around 10:00pm on September 26, she, Gafur and their children woke up in their Kalatali residence to the sound of people who ordered opening the door, she said.

When they did not comply, Nasiruddin Ahmed, his brother Shamsuddin Ahmed, Hafiz Uddin and Azharul Islam, whom she knew beforehand, broke in, she added.

While they were dragging out Gafur, she grabbed at their feet pleading to release him and Hafiz kicked her aside, she said.

Hafiza said she secretly followed them to Jangal Bridge and heard Gafur earnestly requesting Hafiz to release him. Hafiz turned down his request, saying  "you are helping freedom fighters" and shot him from behind before kicking him down under the bridge, she said, adding she and others recovered and buried the body the next day. "I want justice..." said Hafiza.

In her detailed testimony, Bashona Rani Chowdhury of Sreerampur village under Gouripur upazila in Mymensingh said she was 10 years old and living with her father in their Ramnagar residence when her brother was killed.

Around 10:00am on a day in the last part of the Bangla month of Bhadra, Paresh Chandra Sarker was working on a field near their home, from where Bashona saw that some Razakars had gathered near him, she said.

One Razakar shot Paresh and they left, said Bashona, adding that before breathing his last after being taken home, Paresh told them that Shamsuddin had shot him.

Earlier, Paresh's friend Shah Alam, the 10th witness, gave a similar description. Defence counsels completed cross-examining Hafiza and Bashona before the tribunal adjourned proceedings until today. Gazi Abdul Mannan is the fifth accused.