A prosecution witness Sunday said war crimes accused AKM Yusuf ordered the killing of 500 unarmed Hindu people in Khulna in 1971.
Shudhangshu Mandal, 59, the 13th witness, said he had heard this from Shahadat Kazi and Siddique Master, members of the Peace Committee, which collaborated with the Pakistani occupying army during the war.
He also held Yusuf responsible for many other killings, arson attacks and forced deportations of people; as Yusuf had addressed meetings of the Peace Committee and instigated the collaborators to commit crimes against humanity.
Shudhangshu, who was a freedom fighter in 1971, also told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 how he and the villagers fled to India.
Following his testimony, junior defence counsel MH Tamim began cross examining the witness, as his senior colleague was not present. The questioning remained incomplete and the tribunal set Monday for further proceedings.
When Tamim pleaded for a one-day adjournment, the tribunal said the defence had to complete the cross-examination by Monday or it might close the questioning. As the defence counsel continued pleading for an adjournment, the tribunal expressed its disappointment and criticised the defence for their repeated absence during hartals and blockades.
The tribunal indicted Jamaat-e-Islami leader Yusuf on 13 war crimes charges including murder, genocide, arson, religious conversion and the deportation of people.
Shudhangshu in his deposition claimed that after March 7, 1971, he had become a member of the Sangram Committee (pro-liberation resistance committee) under the leadership of Commander Zayed.
He said: “I came to know later that AKM Yusuf, at a Peace Committee meeting on April 19, said ‘this country is led by Muslims, not Hindus. You can enjoy their belongings including the women.’”
The witness said Yusuf had created razakar groups in different areas. He said: “On May 21, thousands of Hindu people took shelter at Dakra Kaliabari in order to go to India. That day, Yusuf ordered [Peace Committee member] Razzab to kill them and more than 500 Hindu civilians were killed. Narayan Chowkidar, who somehow escaped the massacre, told me about the incident.”
After the incident, Shudhangshu said Narayan had gone to their house and asked them to leave the country. “Then I with all my villagers went to India and we took shelter at Bashirhaat. I left Bashirhaat to join training to be part of the Liberation War.”
He said razakars had captured many freedom fighters and took them to Chulkathi Bazar where they killed at least seven people including Bijoy Das and Sunil Bishwas.
After his deposition, the witness did not identify Yusuf in the dock as he had never seen him before.
