Charge framing decision against 3 Bagerhat Razakers Nov 5
A tribunal in Dhaka today fixed November 5 to decide whether it will frame charges against three suspected war criminals of Bagerhat for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the country’s Liberation War.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim came up with the decision after concluding hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
After the court started today’s proceeding, the defence counsels prayed to the court to relieve their clients – Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, 72, Khan Akram Hossain, 61, and Abdul Latif Talukdar, 68 -- of the charges.
The trio joined the Razakar Bahini - an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation army - in 1971 and committed killing, mass killing, rape, looting, arson and forced conversion, according to the prosecution.
On September 15, the tribunal took into cognisance eight charges against the trio for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide in Bagerhat in 1971 Liberation War.
The trio joined the Razakar Bahini - an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation army - in 1971 and committed killing, mass killing, rape, looting, arson and forced conversion, according to the prosecution.
Sirajul, who according to the prosecution was the most notorious among the three, did not appoint any lawyer.
Among the eight charges, four have been brought against Sirajul alone for killing about 666 people, two against all of them for the killing of 47 people and two against Khan Akram and Abdul Latif for converting 200 Hindus and killing a person.
According to the prosecution, Sirajul on May 13, 1971 was involved in the killing of 40 to 50 people of Hindu Community at Ranjitpur in the district. Their houses were also plundered.
On May 21, 1971, an armed group killed around 600 to 700 Hindus when several thousand Hindu men gathered at Kalimandir in Dakra of Rampal of the district in order to go to refugee camps in India.
Nineteen civilians of Besorgati and Kandapara under Bagerhat Sadar Police Station were detained, tortured and killed on June 18, 1971. Sirajul is found to have been involved in the killings, said Sayedul Haque.
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