2 Netrakona war crimes suspects indicted

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday framed six charges against two persons for their alleged involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity in Netrakona during the Liberation War in 1971.

The three-member tribunal chaired by Justice M Enayetur Rahim also fixed April 5 for the beginning of the trial with opening statement and recording testimony of prosecution witnesses against the alleged Razakars -- Obaidul Haque alias Taher and Ataur Rahman Noni.

Obaidul and Ataur however pleaded not guilty.

The tribunal rejected a discharge petition, as its chairman read out the charges one after another.

CHARGES

According to the indictment order, Razakar commander Obaidul and Ataur accompanied by other Razakars and Pakistani occupation army on August 17, 1971 attacked Baushi Bazar and looted valuables from 400-450 shops and 20-25 houses of the Hindus.

They also detained and tortured four to five people including one Fazlur Rahman. All but Fazlur were released. Under Obaidul's leadership, Ataur and other Razakars took Fazlur to Trimohoni Bridge and shot him dead.

On October 4, 1971, Obaidul, Ataur and other Razakars caught footballer Dabir Hossain at Jiur Akhra and took him to Zilla Parishad Bungalow where he was tortured all day long. He was later shot dead near Moktarpara Bridge.

The duo accompanied by other Razakars and Pakistani army attacked Laufa village around 2:30pm on October 19, 1971 and detained 10 people. Eight of them were shot dead and two were released, while the Razakars also raped women there.

Any day between mid-May and the end of the month, the war crimes accused occupied one Moloy Biswas' house at Moktarpara and set up a Razakar camp there. The house owner later left Bangladesh for India in fear.

Between November 15 and 16, they detained seven people including Badiuzzaman Mukto, an organiser of Liberation War, at Birampur Bazar and shot all but one dead.

On any day of the first week of October, Razakar commanders Obaidul and Ataur along with Pakistani army and other Razakars detained around 27 Hindus at Netrakona jail gate and took them near Trimohoni Bridge where all of them were shot dead.

After reading out the charges, the tribunal chairman asked defence counsels Shah Md Shahab Uddin and Gazi MH Tamim to know if their clients pleaded themselves guilty.

Both Obaidul and Taher said they were not present at the places of occurrence and did not know any of the victims mentioned by the tribunal.

The tribunal also asked the defence to submit their witness list, if they have any, to defend their clients.