Prosecution allowed to grill 7

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday allowed a prosecution's petition to interrogate seven Khulna men in connection with a case filed for allegedly committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque passed the order following a petition moved by Prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman Badal.

As per the order, investigators will be able to interrogate the seven accused at the conference room of Dhaka Central Jail for one day each between May 28 and 31, Badal said.

The accused are Shahar Ali, Ashraf Sheikh, Amzad Hossain Hawlader, Mozahar Ali Sheikh, Atiar Sheikh, Motasim Billah, and Kamal Uddin Goldar. Nazrul Islam, another accused in the case, is yet to be arrested. All the accused are from Batiaghata upazila in Khulna.

Earlier, the tribunal asked the prosecutor to submit on July 5 either the investigation report or a report on the progress of the investigation, which began on November 15, 2015.

Meanwhile, the tribunal rejected a bail petition for Salamat Ullah Khan, one of the 18 accused from Cox's Bazar in a case filed for allegedly committing crimes in 1971.

Defence counsels filed the petition citing Salamat's health, old age and sickness of his wife, said one of the counsels Abdus Sattar Palwan. Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta opposed the petition.

When tribunal proposed to release him on parole for a specific time so that he can see his ailing wife but defence did not accept it, Sattar said.

Besides, yesterday was fixed for hearing charges in the case. But the tribunal adjourned the hearing until July 13 after a defence counsel verbally informed the tribunal that one of the fugitives -- Abdul Majid -- had died.

Tribunal asked the defence counsel to inform the matter in written form.

Other 16 accused of the case are: Moulavi Zakaria Sikdar, Md Rashid Miah, Oli Ahmad, Jalal Uddin alias Jalal Ahmed, Moulavi Nurul Islam, Md Saiful alias Sabul, Momtaz Ahmed, Habibur Rahman alias Habib Munshi, Moulavi Amjad Ali, Osman Gani, Abdus Shukkur, Md Zakaria, Moulavi Jalal, Abdul Aziz, Badsha Mia, and Ramiz Hasan.

All the accused are from Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar. Salamat, Nurul Islam, Badsha and Osman Gani are behind bars while Rashid Miah, former BNP lawmaker from Cox's Bazar, is on bail for ill health. The rest are on the run.