AL lawmaker sued for war crimes
A freedom fighter yesterday filed a case against Awami League lawmaker Muslem Uddin and 15 others for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971.
Jalal Uddin, also a local ruling party leader of Phulbaria upazila, filed the case with the Cognisance Court-2 of Senior Judicial Magistrate Mahbubul Haque. The court issued an order to send the case documents to the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, said Nawjesh Ali Miah, Mymensingh court inspector.
Twenty-four people including Religious Affairs Minister Principal Motior Rahman and veteran freedom fighter Bangabir Kader Siddiqui were made witnesses in the case.
Muslem, lawmaker from Mymensingh-6 (Phulbaria) constituency, is the first ruling party MP against whom a case has been filed for allegedly committing offence in 1971.
Contacted, the lawmaker refuted the allegations terming it “absolutely false and fabricated.” “He filed the case against me being influenced by the anti-liberation forces,” he claimed.
Other accused in the case are Fayzol Bari, Abdus Samad Master alias Tikka Khan, Abdul Mondol, Mofiz Uddin alias Mofe, Reaz Uddin Fakir, Muksed Ali, Ebadullah, Wahed Ali Munshi, Mukshed Ali, Sohrab Ali, Abul Hossain, Musa, Abdul Halim, Abdul Quddus, and Giasuddin.
All the accused hail from Phulbaria.
MUSLEM FACED SIMILAR CASE IN 2010
In April 2010, Jalal filed a case against Muslem and 13 others on similar charges. Most of the accused of that case have been made accused in this case.
A Mymensingh court quashed that case in May 2010 and asked him to file a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal, Jalal told The Daily Star yesterday.
Following the court order, he filed a complaint with the tribunal's investigation agency the same year, but the agency did not take any initiative, Jalal alleged. “For this reason, I filed the case again,” said Jalal, also the environment and forests secretary of the ruling party's Phulbaria upazila unit, of which Muslem is the president.
Contacted, Abdul Hannan Khan, the agency's coordinator, said, “As far as I can remember, we received a complaint in this regard.”
They received a large number of complaints from across the country and have been carrying out probes prioritising them by the gravity of the offences, he added.
“We will investigate the case if we find it important in terms of offences.”
At a press conference in Mymensingh in December last year, Kader Siddiqui also demanded trial of Muslem for “committing war crimes”.
Muslem came to the limelight of the media after a case was filed against him and six others in connection with the killings of two people including a college teacher during an agitation programme in Mymensingh on November 27 last year.
YESTERDAY'S CASE
According to the case documents, which The Daily Star obtained copies of, Muslem was elected as a member of the provincial assembly in 1970 general elections with AL ticket.
But after the war broke out, he joined hands with the then Muslim League leader MA Hannan and became the treasurer of Greater Mymensingh Peace Committee, the case reads.
MA Hannan, alleged general secretary of Mymensingh district Peace Committee and now Jatiya Party lawmaker from Mymensingh-7, is now in jail and facing similar charges.
Muslem, staying in the house of Khorshed Uddin Talukder, another Muslim League leader of the town's Chhoto Bazar area, got involved in anti-liberation activities in 1971, the case says.
He used to deliver speeches at different rallies in favour of undivided Pakistan and also worked as an informant of the Pakistan army. The accused attacked the house of the complainant at Jorbaria village on June 27, 1971, and looted all the belongings before burning the house down, it reads.
According to the case, the accused and Pakistan army men killed one Malaya Khatun after raping her in Koyerchala village in the upazila and also killed Basu Chowdhury, freedom fighter Abdul Majid and a number of Hindus in Phulbaria Bazar.
The accused also killed Taleb Ali, Sekander Ali, Altab Ali, Achim Uddin, Ismail Hossain Master, Abdul Quader, Abdul Karim, Abdur Rashid, Nayeb Ali, Sahidullah Master and Sabed Ali, and many bodies were thrown into the Akhalia river, it adds.
MP REFUTES ALLEGATIONS
Muslem said he had filed defamation and damages suits against Jalal after his previous case was quashed and those were pending with two Mymensingh courts.
In 1972, the constituent assembly (Gono Parishad) was formed with all the members of the national and provincial assemblies elected in 1970, except 23 members who were against the Liberation War.
“I was a member of the constituent assembly … So, the allegation that I took a stance against the Liberation War is not true,” said Muslem.
Jalal filed the case out of political rivalry and being jealous of his popularity, said Muslem, an allegation Jalal rejected.
“I have only one rivalry with him… He is a Razakar and I am a freedom fighter,” Jalal said.