The first prosecution witness in the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Abdus Subhan yesterday described the killing of three members of his family during the 1971 Liberation War, where the accused led the slaughter with a sword in his hand.
ATM Shahiduzzaman Nasim, then a secretary of the Bangladesh Students’ Union in Ishwardi, Pabna said addressing a war criminal as a ‘Maulana’ (religious scholar) was a sin.
Nasim works as a journalist at a national daily. He was cross examined by the defence counsel before the tribunal adjourned for the day.
The witness said on April 12, 1971, Subhan went to the Ishwardi Central Mosque and asked villagers who had taken shelter there from Pakistani forces to prove their religious convictions.
“On April 13, the Pakistani Army will come here and you all should give an account of your religious beliefs. If you work in favour of [united] Pakistan, then you will not face any danger,” the witness quoted Subhan as saying.
On April 17, Nasim went to the central mosque to rescue his uncle, brother-in-law and nephew who had taken shelter there. “When I reached, I saw Subhan and his cohorts dragging my uncle, Moazzem Hossain, out of the mosque forcefully. They took him to a nearby coal depot. Subhan rolled up his sleeves and hit my uncle with a sword before his cohorts chopped him up.”
The witness told the tribunal that Subhan had killed his brother-in-law and nephew on April 18 in the same way. He saw the incidents while hiding in a nearby bush. Nasim further claimed that his cousin Tohurul Hossain, son of Moazzem, told him that he also saw his father’s death from another bush.
After his deposition, the witness identified the accused in the dock, saying that he looked the same as he did during 1971. “I don’t want to call him a Maulana because of his war crimes. But as the case is against Maulana Abdus Subhan, I have uttered the word.”
Defence counsel Mizanul Islam started cross examining the witness. He asked Nasim whether the prosecution had forced him to call the accused Maulana. The witness dismissed the suggestion.
The trial against Subhan began on April 2 by, nearly two months after his indictment.
The accused was indicted by Tribunal 1 on December 31 on nine charges of crimes against humanity and he is liable for individual and as well as joint criminal responsibility. The case was transferred to Tribunal 2 on March 27.
The accused was the acting chief of Jamaat Pabna unit during the war. The prosecution said: “Subhan led and in some cases accompanied anti-liberation forces that committing atrocities from April 11, 1971cin and around Pabna. He was the secretary of Pabna unit Peace Committee that was formed in May, 1971.”
Subhan was also accused in 1972 by a special tribunal of collaborating with the Pakistani occupation forces and was summoned. However, he did not face trial as he had already fled to Pakistan with former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam. He became a member of parliament in the 2001 national elections, from Pabna 5 constituency.
