Bagerhat Market 'Massacre'

Siraj Master

A prosecution witness yesterday said he saw war crimes accused Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master slitting the throat of his uncle while his fellow Razakars hacked 18 others to death in Bagerhat during the Liberation War.

The 19 were rounded up from Kandapara village and slain in the nearby market by the same name on June 18, 1971, Ahmed Ali Sheikh told the International Crimes Tribunal-1

The 25th witness, who saw the massacre from a nearby garden, said, "Accused Siraj Master first stabbed my uncle in the waist. When uncle fell to the ground, Siraj bayoneted him to death."

Ahmed Ali was cross-examined before the proceeding was adjourned until today.

Earlier, one witness testified on the massacre.

Siraj and two other accused, Abdul Latif Talukder and Khan Akram Hossain, face seven charges of crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Bagerhat in 1971.

Meanwhile, a hearsay witness told the tribunal-2 that war crimes accused Forkan Mollik killed three people of his village Kakrabunia in Patuakhali and was involved in raping a woman at an army camp.

Rakhal Chandra Bhakto, the ninth witness, said he heard these from others.

Forkan with other Razakars and Pakistani troops arrived at the village on the fifth of Bangla month of Bhadra (August-September) in 1971, and looted and torched 13-14 Hindu houses, he said.

Rakhal and his family had hid behind a bush. The witness said that after the Razakars left, he came out of the bush and found the bodies of Elem Uddin, Sanad Kumar, and Hatem Ali.

He heard that Forkan shot dead all of them, while the Razakars raped a woman for three days before releasing her.

The defence began cross-examining Rakhal before the proceeding was adjourned till today.

Forkan faces five charges including murders in Patuakhali.