War crimes verdict against Shariatpur razakar Idris Ali Monday

The International Crimes Tribunal has set Monday for delivering its verdict on the war crimes case filed against razakar leader Idris Ali Sardar of Shariatpur. The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haq fixed the date on Sunday morning. Prosecution submitted charge sheet against two razakars – Solaiman Mollah alias Soleman Moulvi and Idris Ali Sardar alias Gazi Idris – in November last year. Solaiman died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on October 25 this year, while the law enforcers could not arrest Idris Ali. Four charges of crimes against humanity involving the murder of around 200 people, mostly Hindus, rape, arson and looting in Shariatpur and Madaripur during the 1971 Liberation War were framed against the duo on May 2 this year. During the trial procedure, the tribunal heard depositions of 13 prosecution witnesses. The war crimes case was filed against them in Shariatpur in 2010. After Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutor Rezia Sultana Chaman said that they had sought the highest punishment for Idris Ali. Solaiman was exempted from the charges after his death. Involved with Jamaat-e-Islami, Idris hails from west Kashabhog village under Chitalia of Palang in Shariatpur while Solaiman from the same union’s Kashipur village. The duo collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces to commit crimes against humanity in different areas of Shariatpur and Madaripur. According to the charge sheet, Solaiman was a Jamaat leader in 1970 and led the local razakar force and Peace Committee. On the other hand, Idris was a local leader of Jamaat’s then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha during the war and joined the razakar force. On May 22 in 1971, the duo along with around 150 Pakistani Army members attacked three villages of Palang, killing 200 Hindus and one Abdus Samad Sikder. They also looted and burnt down all the houses there. The next day, they killed a priest and two guards of a temple, and burnt down all houses before looting them at Malopara and Rudrakar villages. More than 20 women were abducted from the villages and raped at a Pakistani Army camp in Madaripur for three days. Around 15 villagers, who were also abducted, were later shot dead. The duo were also involved in looting the house of one Shailendra Krishna Paul in June and killing two Hindu people. The accused along with the Pakistani Army men also forced over 1,500 people to leave the country between March 25 and December 10 in 1971, according to the fourth charge.