A witness from Pabna yesterday accused top war crimes suspect Maulana Abdus Subhan of killing his brother along with several others in their village during the 1971 Liberation War.
Md Azizul Sarder, 54, from Ramnathpur of Ishwardi, said the collaborators led by Subhan had also looted their house and set it on fire.
Now Jamaat-e-Islami’s nayeb-e-ameer, the accused was the acting ameer of Pabna district unit Jamaat and chairman of Peace Committee during the war. He also allegedly led the “Mujaheed Bahini” in the district.
The International Crimes Tribunal 1 on December 31 last year indicted Subhan on nine charges. The case was transferred to the tribunal 2 on March 27.
During the deposition, witness Aziz said: “Subhan along with more than 50 razakars besieged our house on October 30 of 1971 and started to torture the family members. After some time, they tied my brother with a mango tree, and looted gold and cattle from our house. Later they set it on fire.”
Along with three others from nearby Betbaria village, the witness said, his brother had been taken to a razakar camp set up at Muladuli food storage on a van.
Aziz said his family members had gone to the camp and requested Ishaq Ali, chairman of Peace Committee, to free the confined men. But Ishaq refused to do so and continued torture. “Later the collaborators took them to the Dak Bungalow [government rest house] of Ishwardi.”
The witness’ family had gone to Ishwardi too and pleaded to razakar leader Dukhu Khan. Aziz said: “He told my family members that the razakars already killed my brother.”
After his deposition, a junior counsel grilled Aziz briefly and the tribunal adjourned the trial until today keeping the cross-examination incomplete.