Probe agency finds evidence against 4 Netrakona men
The Investigation Agency of the International Crimes Tribunal yesterday said to have found evidence against four persons in Netrakona over their alleged involvement in crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971.
They were "involved" in killing of 22 people, rape of two women, arson attacks on and looting of some 15 houses under Durgapur and Kalmakanda police stations in the district between May 10 and November 18 in 1971, the agency's coordinator Abdul Hannan Khan said at a press conference at its Dhanmondi office.
The accused are Khalilur Rahman, 72; his brother Azizur Rahman, 65; Ashak Ali, 82; and Shahnewaz, 88, of Durgapur Upazila. Of them, Khalilur is on the run while the others are in jail.
Hannan Khan said investigation in the case began on April 30, 2015, against five accused but Ramjan Ali, the fifth accused, died on September 30 last year during the investigation. Therefore, Ramjan was dropped from the case, he added.
Of them, Khalilur was a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, in 1971 and first joined Razakar Bahini and subsequently in Al-Badr Bahini, said the agency's co-coordinator Sanaul Huq.
The rest three were supporters of Muslim League and joined Razakar Bahini in 1971, said Sanaul, adding all four are now supporters of Jamaat.
Bodrul Alam, the investigation officer of the case, said he will hand over the probe report and other documents to the Chief Prosecutor Office today.
The five incidents of crimes they were “involved” are killing of one person and abduction of another person at Bhulipara village in Durgapur, looting of and arson attacks on houses at Anandapur and Noagaon villages in Kalmakanda, killing of six people on the bank of the Bakla River, killing of five people at Shingpur village, and killing of 10 people including two rape incidents in Durgapur upazila.
INVESTIGATION OF 28 OTHER CASES
Asked whether the agency will start investigation against Muslem Uddin, an Awami League lawmaker from Mymensingh who was recently implicated in a case for allegedly committing crimes in 1971, Sanaul Huq said they are currently investigating 28 other cases.
“It's our discretion... here nothing is to pick and choose...We have a mechanism to follow for starting an investigation,” said Sanaul, adding that they had been carrying out probes prioritising them by the gravity of the offences.
Coordinator Hannan Khan said, “We have received more than 600 complaints till now. It's not like we will start acting [investigating] from the moment we receive a complaint.”
Jalal Uddin, a freedom fighter and also a local ruling party leader of Phulbaria upazila in Mymensingh, filed a case against Muslem on January 23 and the court ordered the authorities concerned to send the case documents to the International Crimes Tribunal.
Muslem, however, refuted the allegations terming it “absolutely false and fabricated.”
Replying to a question, Sanaul Huq said at present, there is no exact plan how to deal with all the complaints they received. The government, talking with the civil society members and jurists, can take a decision in this regard.
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