A former staff member of a Bogra newspaper yesterday testified on the seizure list prepared by investigation officer in the case against war crimes suspect and former BNP minister Abdul Alim.
The 32nd prosecution witness, Rafiqul Islam Ranju, who used to work as an advertisement manager of Dainik Bangladesh, published from Bogra, submitted his deposition at the International Crimes Tribunal 2.
Now working at a non-governmental organisation, Rafiqul said: “On April 21, 2011, investigation officer Altafur Rahman seized newspaper copies of January 17 and 23, 1972 particularly where news on Alim was published.
“He [IO] was at my office around 12:30pm that day. He was there to seize both the published papers and photocopies of papers that were published on January 17 and 23, 1972. After thoroughly examining and ensuring that the photocopies were the same as the main copy, my colleague Tajmul Hossain and I signed in the seizure list as witnesses,” he said.
The witness said the main newspapers were shown in exhibit 31 while the photocopies were showed in exhibit 32 on the seizure list.
Later, defence counsel Ahsanul Haque Hena cross examined the witness before the tribunal of Justice Obaidul Hasan, Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Judge M Shahinur Islam.
Defence counsel Hena suggested that either the witness or the IO or both, with ill-motives, put a “box mark” on Alim’s name, which was published in the papers along with several others.
Refuting the allegation, Rafiqul said the name was not marked afterwards, rather it was there in the original copies.
Alim is facing 17 charges of crimes against humanity he allegedly committed in Joypurhat during the 1971 Liberation War when he was the district Peace Committee chairman.
He was arrested on March 27, 2011, and has been on conditional bail since March 31 last year.