Court accepts charges against 2 Shariatpur suspects

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday accepted the charges brought against two war crimes accused of Shariatpur over crimes committed during the country's Liberation War in 1971.

The prosecution on November 16 pressed four charges against them, relating to killing, mass killing, rape, looting, arson and forced deportation.

The accused are Sulaiman Mollah, 84, of Kashipur Muslimpara and Edris Ali Sarder alias Gazi Edris, 67, of Mahmudpur (Pachim Kashabhog), of the sadar upazila. Of them, Sulaiman is in jail and Edris on the run.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque also directed the inspector general of police to make sure Edris is arrested immediately and a report is submitted by January 24 on execution of the arrest order.

The court will pass the next order on February 8.

Sulaiman was a Muslim League leader and joined the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to contest  the 1970's election, only to be defeated and return to the Muslim League. In 1971, he formed the Peace Committee and Razakar Bahini to assist the Pakistani occupation army, according to investigators.

Edris was a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and joined the Razakar Bahini in 1971.