A new prosecution witness yesterday blamed war crimes accused Abdul Jabbar for ordering the killing and buring the body of his brother, who was a freedom fighter, during the 1971 Liberation War in Pirojpur.
Eighth witness Mozammel Haque Sharif, brother of martyred Motaleb Sharif, told the International Crimes Tribunal 1 that former army member Motaleb used to run a centre to train the youths of his area.
The previous witnesses also gave statements on the same incident in which another freedom fighter, Abdur Razzak, had been killed on May 16, 1971 at Phuljhuri village under Mothbaria of Pirojpur.
Mozammel, 63, a farmer by profession, said from a meeting at Tushkhali High School ground on that day, Jabbar ordered the collaborators to bring to him Motaleb and Razzak dead or alive.
“Following the order, local razakars and members of Muslim League came to our house and shot my brother dead when he tried to escape. We could not bury the body which was left on the floor of our balcony. Villagers did not come forward since they were afraid of the razakars.”
Razzak was captured and killed on the same day, he added.
Mozammel said the razakars led by Jabbar had raided their village the following day, on May 17, and killed one named Sharada Paik. “As they set our house on fire, my brother’s corpse was damaged.”
He said on that day the collaborators had looted and torched around 360 houses in the village. Mozammel claimed that he and his other brother Sattar Sharif had witnessed the atrocities hiding in a bush. After Jabbar and his cohorts left the village, they buried the body of Motaleb.
Later the family left the village for the Sundarbans area where he had taken training to join the war.
After his deposition, state-appointed defence counsel MA Hasan asked him a question and the tribunal adjourned the hearing until today keeping it incomplete. The first tribunal on August 14 indicted Jabbar, the alleged chairman of Mathbaria unit of Peace Committee, on five charges of crimes against humanity.