Jabbar was behind killing of 22 people
A victim yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that anti-liberation elements had shot dead 22 people including his father and brother at the instructions of war crimes accused Abdul Jabbar during the War of Independence.
Shontosh Kumar Mitra, the sixth prosecution witness in the case against the fugitive accused, said Razakars had also shot him, but he cheated death at Surjamoni village of Pirojpur on October 6, 1971.
Shontosh had received training on combat in the Sundarbans area under sub-sector commander of Sector-9 Maj Zia Uddin and secretly came to visit his house at Angulkata village in Pirojpur that day.
The witness said he had woken up around 11:30pm the same day by the sound of whistles blown by Razakars.
“They looted jewellery, money and valuables and tied me and my father Surendra Nath Mitra with a piece of rope,” he said, adding, Razakars detained them at the instructions of Jabbar.
“Eight families used to live in our house and the intruders detained all the men,” Shontosh said.
As many as 37 people were detained and taken to the municipality office of Mathbaria. Of them, seven including the victim's cousin Monindra Master were released and the rest were taken near the sluice gate of Surjamoni village.
He said the elders had begun to cry when the Razakars prepared to kill them. “The Razakars hit many of them with the rifle butt,” he added.
“One after another, the detainees were taken beside the canal and shot dead from behind. My brother Foni Mitra and I were tied to each other and shot. My brother died on the spot and I was injured,” he said.
The witness showed marks of bullet injuries on his back and beneath his right chest to the tribunal judges.
“Twenty-two people were killed and eight others were injured,” he said.
Shontosh took primary treatment at his brother-in-law's pharmacy in Duatola Bazar and later went to the Sundarbans camp and got further treatment.
Defence counsel Mohammad Abul Hasan had cross-examined him before the tribunal adjourned the case proceedings until today.
Former Jatiya Partly lawmaker Jabbar, who was chairman of Mathbaria Peace Committee in Pirojpur in 1971, faces five charges for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity.
TRIBUNAL-2
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday recorded testimony of Matiur Rahman, one of the two investigation officers in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdus Subhan.
Matiur, also the 30th prosecution witness in the case against Subhan, exhibited several documents including “Fortnightly Report on Political Situation-1971” and “East Pakistan Police Abstract of Intelligence”.
Matiur said he had collected a list of collaborators prepared in 1972 from the library of the Investigation Agency. According to the list, Subhan was the secretary of anti-liberation Pabna Peace Committee and had later become its vice-chairman, he added.
The IO also said he had collected a list of members of Pakistan National Assembly and East Pakistan Provincial Assembly of 1970 and 1971 from police directorate, adding, the list was prepared in June 1972.
Subhan was the 38th on the list and mentioned as being on the run, said Matiur.
He said he had collected a list of members of Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams forces as prepared by Pabna police and Subhan was on the top of the list.
After his testimony, defence counsel Mizanul Islam had started cross-examining him before the three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan adjourned the case proceedings until today.
Subhan, Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer, faces nine charges including genocide committed in Pabna during the war. The octogenarian accused, however, pleads not guilty before the tribunal.
Comments