The investigation agency of the special tribunal dealing with crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War has finalised its report against Zahid Hossain Khokon, also known as Khokon Razakar.
The team is set to submit the report to the prosecution today, one of the senior investigators said, adding that they bought charges of murder, mass killing, genocide, looting, rape and torture on minority Hindus against him.
Khokon, also referred as the “butcher of Faridpur,” was an associate of Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar who was given a death sentence for war crimes earlier this year.
While the probe report is ready, rumours are rife that he has fled the country to evade arrest and trial.
Investigation officer Satya Ranjan Roy doubted Khokon was in the country: “We speculate that he is not in the country. Most probably, he is in Europe now.”
Investigation into Khokon’s alleged crimes started on April 15 last year.
As per the allegations, Khokon and his men, aided by the Pakistani occupation forces, had gone on rampage in every union of Nagarkanda upazila, except Dofa, which was the home of his in-laws. They killed innocent, unarmed people, plundered gold jewellery and cash, and forcibly took women to the local army camps.
The probe report shows that Khokon led a group of collaborators to conduct operations in several unions of Nagarkanda. He acted as the henchman of the collaborators in the areas.
After the death of his elder brother Zafar Razakar on May 29, 1971, Khokon took over the leadership of the gang, and with the assistance of the Pakistan army, carried out vicious retaliatory attacks. Khokon was an Ansar member during the war.
He fled the country soon after independence, but regained his position in society after 1975. Later, he also became chairman of the Nagarkanda municipality.
He is also a frontline leader of BNP’s Nagarkanda upazila unit.
