The International Crimes Tribunal 1 has framed charges against three razakar leaders for committing crimes against humanity in Bagerhat during the 1971 Liberation War.
The three-member panel headed by Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim indicted Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, 72, Khan Akram Hossain, 61, and Abdul Latif Talukder, 68, reports BSS.
They are facing seven charges of crimes against humanity including genocide, murder, abduction, confinement and torture.
December 2 has been set for placing opening statement of the prosecution side.
Among the charges, four have been brought against Sirajul alone for the killing of more than 600 people, two against all of them for the killing of 47 people and one against Akram and Latif for killing a person.
As the place of occurrences and incidents are same, the trio has been held responsible in the same case.
The tribunal framed the charges rejecting two separate discharge petitions submitted by Abul Hasan, counsel for Siraj Master, and barrister M Sarwar Hossain, counsel for Akram and Latif.
The tribunal also asked the defence counsels to submit lists of witnesses and other documents before the tribunal by that day.
“Two separate applications seeking discharge were filed. We are inclined to reject the petitions and hereby framing charges as follows,” Justice Rahim said.
Prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon submitted eight charges against Sirajul, Akram and Abdul Latif. The tribunal, however, dropped one.
The tribunal read out the charges and after the indictment order asked the defence to ask the accused whether they wanted to plead guilty. The trio pleaded themselves not guilty.
According to the prosecution, the trio took training under the Pakistani occupation forces in Khulna Ansar Camp and set up razakar camps in different areas of Bagerhat. Subsequently they carried out killings, genocide, rape, loot, arson and forced conversion from those camps.
“They acted as commanders and deputy commanders of the infamous razakar force in then Bagerhat Mohokuma. Of these three, Siraj was particularly so vicious that he used to slit the throat of at least a person captured by his followers, before taking his daily breakfast,” Sayedul said.
Siraj was also known in the area as “Siraj Kosai.”
According to the indictment order, Siraj Master was a teacher of Khulna Multilateral High School until 1971. He was an activist of National Students’ Federation during his student life and thereafter he joined the Muslim League.
In 2001, he joined the BNP and was active in the party until 2006.
During the war, he joined the razakar force, an auxiliary unit of the Pakistani Army and became the deputy commander of then Bagerhat sub-division.
Accused Akram served as a mechanic at the agriculture department and retired from the service in the year 2011.
Latif was elected a member of Raripara union Kochua police station in 1985. He was a local leader of Jatiya Party. In 1990, he joined the Awami League and since then he has been working as a worker.
Akram and Latif were arrested on June 10 and June 20, while Sirajul on July 21.
Charges
According to the indictment order, Siraj on May 13, 1971 was involved in the killing of 40-50 Hindus in Ranjitpur village under Bagerhat sadar. Their houses were also looted.
On May 21, when several thousand Hindu men gathered at Kalimandir in Dakra of Rampal to take refuge in India, an armed group killed around 600-700 Hindus. Siraj was involved in the killings.
Collaborators on June 18 captured 19 pro-Liberation people of Besargati and Kandapara under Bagerhat sadar, tortured and killed them. Siraj is found to have been involved in the killings.
The notorious collaborator allegedly took part in the looting of 50 houses of Chulkathi village. A total of seven pro-Liberation people were murdered and 50 houses looted and torched.
On November 5, the three accused attacked civilians at Shakharikathi Haat under Kochua. A total of 42 pro-liberation people were killed and many houses were looted in that incident.
Five persons of different villages of Kochua were abducted, confined, tortured and subsequently killed by the three war crimes accused on November 22, the charge sheet says.
Akram and Latif detained freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman of Teligati village and killed him on December 13.
