A prosecution witness at the war crimes tribunal Tuesday testified against former BNP minister Abdul Alim. In his testimony, the witness said during the 1971 Liberation War, Alim ordered members of the Pakistani occupation army to kill 11 unarmed youths in Shikder Para of Joypurhat.
Fifty-seven-year-old Abdul Hamid Shikder, the 21st prosecution witness, told International Crimes Tribunal 2 that at the time of the killing, Alim was accompanied by razakars, a group of collaborators who helped the Pakistani army in committing atrocities.
“[The victims’] faces were blackened. They were forced to queue up on the north side of the Baroghati pond, then following orders from Alim, the Pakistani army shot them dead,” grocery shopkeeper Hamid told the tribunal of Justice Obaidul Hasan, Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Judge M Shahinur Islam.
The war crimes tribunal, was created to try suspects accused of committing war crimes during the Liberation War.
“Alim, accompanied by razakars and the Pakistani army raided my native village in the first week of September, 1971. They captured these 11 youths during the raid. Their bodies were buried beside the pond.”
Hamid said his house was about 200 paces from the pond.
“About four or five months later, after the independence, we threw a net into the pond and recovered close to 150 skeletons. We buried those skeletons under a mango tree on the south side of the pond.”
“Alim was a Muslim League leader from our locality. Later he formed the Peace Committee and became its chairman. He set up a Pakistani camp at Shaonlal Bazlar Gadi Ghar. He was the person who told the razakars and members of the Pakistani army what to do or whom to kill.”
At the end of his submission, the witness identified Alim in the dock.
Defence counsel AHM Ahsanul Haque Hena cross-examined him. Hamid confirmed that the Baroghati pond was the property of his grandfather, Iman Ali Shikder.
The tribunal set May 23 for further proceedings of the case.
On June 11 last year, Alim, a former member of Gen Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet, was indicted on 17 counts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the war.
So far, 19 prosecution witnesses have testified against Alim. He is the only war crimes suspect out on bail. The prosecution has declared Abed Hossain, one of the prosecution witnesses, “hostile”.
