War Crimes in 1971: Former NSI chief’s trial next month

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday framed a charge against Wahidul Haque, former acting director general of National Security Intelligence (NSI), for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam also set November 24 for starting his trial with the recording of testimony of prosecution witnesses.

Wahidul, who allegedly worked for the Pakistan army as its captain during the Liberation War and was involved in the killing of 500 to 600 people near Rangpur Cantonment on March 28, 1971, pleaded not guilty before the tribunal and sought justice.

On April 24 last year, police arrested Wahidul, also a former additional inspector general of police, at the capital’s Gulshan hours after the ICT-1 issued an arrest warrant for him in the case. He is now in jail.

Investigation agency of the tribunal on October 30 last year completed its probe and said that it had found evidence of his involvement in wartime crimes.

WAHIDUL’S PROFILE 

Accord to the investigation agency, Wahidul, son of Shamsul Haque in Madaripur, was posted in Rangpur Cantonment when the war broke out in March 1971. He, along with the Pakistan occupation army, fought against the freedom-loving people. 

He was the adjutant of the 29th Cavalry Regiment of the Pakistan army at Rangpur Cantonment. 

Wahidul was transferred to West Pakistan the following month, where he continued his service and returned to Bangladesh in December 1973. He subsequently joined Bangladesh Army, agency officials said. 

He was later sent into “forced retirement” as many were aware of his wartime crimes, they said.

He joined the police force as an assistant superintendent in October 1976, a year after the assassination of Bangabandhu, and became the police commissioner of Chattogram in 1988.

He was a director of NSI from 1991 to 1996 and its acting director general from 1996 to 1997, investigators said. 

Wahidul was made the director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports in 1997 and reappointed to the post in 2002. He retired as an additional inspector general of police in October 2005, they said.

THE CHARGE 

Around 4:00pm on March 28, 1971, several thousand people assembled near the Rangpur Cantonment area to protest the barbaric mayhem committed on the night of March 25, 1971, and to demonstrate their stance on independence, according to the charge.

Then a group of Pakistan army men led by Wahidul, equipped with machine guns, opened  fire, killing 500 to 600 civilians, reads the charge.

In conjunction with the attack, injured civilians were bayoneted to death following the order of one Lt Col Shageer, it added.