Kamaruzzaman was involved

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Jamaat-e-Islami senior assistant secretary general, was involved in killing 120 men in a village of Sherpur district during the Liberation War, the prosecution told the International Crimes Tribunal yesterday.
He planned and participated in the murders in Shohagpur village of Nalitalbari upazila on July 25, 1971. Many women were also raped on that day, prosecutor Saiful Islam read out from the formal charges brought against the Jamaat leader.
“Since then, the village is known as “Bidhoba Polli” [Village of Widows],” he said.
The prosecutor yesterday finished presenting the 110-page formal charges against Kamaruzzaman. He also completed arguments supporting the charges.
The tribunal led by its Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq fixed March 25 for hearing the defence's arguments.
The court will decide whether it would frame charges against the Jamaat leader after hearing the arguments.
Kamaruzzaman, 60, was present during yesterday's proceedings. Arrested on July 13 last year, the Jamaat leader is facing nine charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed by him during the Liberation War.
The charges include planning and conspiracy against pro-liberation people, mass murder, extermination, deportation, torture and rape.
Kamaruzzaman was the chief organiser of Al Badr, an auxiliary group that collaborated with then Pakistani occupation forces, in Mymensingh, said the prosecutor, adding that he used to use a Pakistan army jeep and frequently visit the infamous Ahmednagar army camp in Jhinaigati upazila of Sherpur.
He was also involved in killing Bodiuzzaman on a street of Ahmednagar in Sherpur and Mojibar Rahman and several others who were abducted from a house in Dhaka's Chawkbazar, and torturing Sirajuddin, then headmaster of Anandamohan College in Mymensingh, the prosecutor said.
In 1971, at a rally in Momenshahi of Mymensingh, Kamaruzzaman called for “extermination of specific groups”, which created grave panic among the people.
Been a superior leader of Al Badr, Kamaruzzaman must take the responsibilities of the crimes his subordinates had committed,” said prosecutor Saiful Islam.
CHARGE-FRAMING HEARING AGAINST GHULAM AZAM DEFERRED
The tribunal yesterday deferred the hearing on charge framing against the former Jamaat-e-Islami ameer until March 25 due to the absence of one of the members of three-judge panel.
The court, however, mentioned nothing about the reason for the judge's absence.
Ghulam Azam's counsels were yesterday scheduled to place arguments on the charges. Arrested on January 11, the former Jamaat chief is facing 62 counts of crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
After his counsels place their arguments on the charges brought, the tribunal will decide whether it will frame charges against the 89-year-old former Jamaat leader.
TRIBUNAL'S URGE TO JOURNALISTS
After the International Crimes Tribunal began yesterday's proceedings at 10:41am, prosecutor Zead Al Mamun drew the court's attention to a report published in Daily Sangram that day.
He said the report headlined “Prosecution once again fails to produce witness against Maulana Sayedee” was totally one-sided and did not have any statement of the prosecution.
The report had referred to Sunday's proceedings when the prosecution produced the investigation officer, who probed the war crimes charges against Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
According to the prosecutor, the report mentioned the statement of the defence but did not carry anything the prosecution had said.
Justice Nizamul Huq then referred to an earlier order that stated that criticism of the court is welcome but it should be done in proper court language. He said must a report be one-sided, but it should contain the truth.
Justice Huq requested journalists to be careful while reporting on court procedures so that no news item needs to be presented in the court.