Crimes against Humanity
Decision on Maulana Azad’s arrest today
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 will decide today whether it will issue an arrest warrant against former leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha (now Islami Chattra Shibir) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971.
The tribunal--the second of two courts dealing with the 1971 crimes--fixed the date after the prosecution submitted yesterday a progress report of the probe into Azad's activities in 1971.
The tribunal headed by its Chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir asked the prosecution to submit the progress report on March 25 when the prosecution had appealed for issuing of an arrest warrant against Azad.
Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali, who placed the report, said the investigation against Azad, locally known as Bachchu Rajakar (collaborator), started on April 10, 2011 and hoped that it would be completed within two or three months.
But Azad should be kept behind bars for the sake of proper investigation, as witnesses in the cases are being intimidated either by Azad or his supporters, said Haider Ali, who placed nine grounds in favour of the arrest appeal.
Azad is a very influential person in Faridpur and is running five NGOs, the prosecutor said, adding that witnesses to his atrocities feared retribution if they testified against him while he was at large.
Haider Ali said Ranjit Devnath, one of the prosecution witnesses, filed a general diary (GD) with the local police station after he was threatened for giving his statement to the investigation officer (IO) of the case.
Azad was involved in killing, looting and violating women during the Liberation War in Faridpur district, he added.
After the proceedings, Prosecutor Sahidur Rahman told reporters that Azad's associates killed Moloy Bose, chairman of Atghar Union Parishad in Saltha upazila of Faridpur, this February. Moloy was a victim of atrocities in the liberation war and a prosecution witness, he said.
The murder has sparked tension and terror among other witnesses, Haider Ali said, adding that Azad needed to be taken to a safe home for further interrogation.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2, formed last month to speed up the trial of war crimes, formally started operation on March 25 with the hearing on a petition to arrest Azad.
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