Decision on 5 Kishoreganj 'Razakars' indictment Oct 12

A tribunal in Dhaka today fixed October 12 to decide whether it will frame charges against five Kishoreganj ‘Razakars’ for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the country’s Liberation War.

The three-member panel of International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice Anwarul Haque set the date after concluding the hearing on the charge framing against them.

The war crimes suspects are: Gazi Abdul Mannan, 88, alleged commander of Karimganj Razakar camp, and alleged Razakar members Hafiz Uddin, 66, and Azharul Islam, 60, Nasiruddin Ahmed, 62, and his brother Shamsuddin Ahmed, 60.

Of them, Shamsuddin is now in jail while the four others are fugitives.

During today’s hearing, Shamsuddin informed the court that he has no lawyer to place arguments on behalf of him.

After hearing him, the tribunal appointed Abdus Sukur Khan as Shamsuddin’s lawyer. Earlier, Sukur was appointed as defence lawyer for the four fugitives accused.

On May 10, the prosecution pressed seven charges over the involvement of five Kishoreganj “Razakars” in crimes, including mass killing, murder, confinement, torture, arson and looting, in Karimganj upazila between August 25 and November 13 during the 1971 Liberation War.

The charges are: killing of eight people and injuring of another of four villages on November 12; killing of Miah Hossain of Aila village on November 13; abduction and killing of Abdur Gafur of Kalatali on September 26; abduction, torture and killing of Fazlur Rahman of Atkapara on August 23; killing of Paresh Chandra Sarkar of Ramnagar on September 7; torture and killing of Abu Bakar Siddique and Rapali on August 25; and arson and vandalism in Atkapara on September 15.