Activists of opposition BNP and its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami have allegedly hacked a witness against war crimes convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee, and beat up his wife in a sneak attack on their Pirojpur house at Parerhat early on Sunday.
The condition of the witness, Golam Mostafa, is stated to be critical as he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from Khulna for treatment. His wife received minor injuries to her hand during the attack around 3am.
Mostafa’s son Hafizur Rahman, 20, called another witness against Sayedee Ruhul Amin Nobin immediately after the attack. Hafiz told Nobin that he had recognised two of the three attackers who chopped his father with a machete. They were activists of BNP and Jamaat, he said.
The Dhaka Tribune talked to Nobin on Sunday evening but could not reach Hafiz.
“The miscreants entered the house by digging a tunnel through the earthen floor. They had accomplices waiting outside who escaped as the victims’ cry for help alerted the neighbours,” said Nobin.
Pirojpur Police Superintendent Akhteruzzaman said he had not considered the attack as a simple incident of burglary.
The attack came only a week after police guard at Mostafa’s house at Hoglabunia village under Parerhat union of Zianagar was withdrawn. Earlier consistent threats on Mostafa’s life forced the authorities to deploy law enforcers.
Mostafa had filed several general diaries with Zianagar police station in the last two years.
Earlier, the house of complainant of the case against Sayedee, Mahbubul Alam Howlader, who also testified at the war crimes tribunal, was attacked by over 200 Jamaat-BNP activists on October 28.
According to Nobin and another witness who the Dhaka Tribune contacted to learn about the attack’s context, Mostafa was an active witness in the case who not only testified against Sayedee, but also had visited the other prosecution witnesses to inspire them to stand against Sayedee.
The prosecution could not produce at least 15 witnesses in the Sayedee case, as many of them had either fled their houses or refused to turn up at the tribunal to testify. The tribunal had to accept their statements recorded by the investigation officer as evidence at the end of proceedings.
“The criminals entered the house by digging a tunnel to give the impression that it was an attempt of burglary,” said Nobin.
But Hafiz told him that the attackers had not looked for valuables and swooped on his father at once they were inside the house.
Another witness, who did not dare stand against Sayedee at the tribunal, told the Dhaka Tribune from Pirojpur that a group of Jamaat cadres had entered the area, apparently to attack the witnesses.
From the dialect they use, it is evident that they were hailing from Jhenidah or Satkhira. A shopkeeper nearby Mostafa’s house saw the group talking about him around 7:30pm on Saturday, hours before the witness was attacked.
“Do not come out of home whoever calls you in the night,” the shopkeeper alerted the witness.
At the end of last month, a group of 10-12 youths had gone to Nobin’s house in the evening and threatened that they had some issues to be settled with him. They warned Nobin from the courtyard as the collapsible gate to his house had been locked.
Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said the way the threats and attacks were occurring “is clearly indicative of Jamaat-BNP being on the prowl.” He refrained from making further comment as he could not hear about the attack from critically injured Mostafa.
Investigators at the International Crimes Tribunal said such attacks on witnesses had made the fate of the pending cases uncertain. “Many witnesses will not turn up at the tribunal to testify.”
Pirojpur Police Superintendent Akhteruzzaman said Mostafa has been a brave witness against Sayedee who moved around openly and encouraged other witnesses against Sayedee. He had enemies, mainly for giving deposition against the Jamaat leader.
The police have already picked up a man who they suspect to have dug the tunnel. The man is known to be a BNP activist.