Mollah took part in mass killing in '71

Another witness yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-2 that Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah had directly taken part in the killing of around 400 people at Alubdi of Pallabi in Dhaka during the Liberation War.
Ninth prosecution witness Amir Hossain Mollah in the war crimes case against Quader said the Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general along with the Pakistani army opened fire on the people of Alubdi on April 24, 1971.
On August 1, Shafiuddin Mollah, the fifth prosecution witness in the case, had also told the tribunal that Quader directly took part in the killing of 360-370 Bangalees in Alubdi.
He said he had seen, from his hiding place in a bush, Quader fire on the villagers.
Freedom fighter Amir Hossain Mollah, 66, resides in Doaripara neighbouring Alubdi.
He told Tribunal-2 in his deposition yesterday that Quader along with 70-80 members of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, had trained non-Bangalee Biharis to “protect Pakistan” ahead of the Liberation War.
The three-member tribunal headed by its Chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, with members Justice Obaidul Hassan and Judge Md Shahinur Islam, adjourned the case proceedings until today.
The witness would resume giving testimony today.
During his 18-minute testimony, Amir said he was 24 during the Liberation War.
Being inspired by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's March 7, 1971, speech, he prepared for the Liberation War and formed a volunteer force in Mirpur.
On March 23-24, 1971, when the situation in Mirpur deteriorated, he and his family members left the area and took shelter in Savar.
“On April 22-23, I along with my father had gone to our village near Alubdi for harvesting paddy and spent the night in my uncle's [husband of his aunt] house at Alubdi.
“Around the time of Fajr prayers on April 24, 1971, a helicopter landed on the bank of the Turag river on the west side of his village.”
From the east, 100-150 Biharis and Bangalees led by Quader entered the village and opened fire indiscriminately. Many people were killed then, said Amir.
“Afterwards, they picked 64-65 villagers from their homes and lined them up in the north side of the village and 300-350 people who had come to the village for harvesting paddy were also lined up on the same place and then they opened fire on them,” said the witness.
There was a rifle in Quader's hand; there was also a rifle in Akhter Gunda's (Quader's alleged associate) hand.
The two along with Panjabi people (Pakistan army) opened fire, said the witness, adding, “Approximately 400 people were killed there.”
On May 28, the tribunal framed six specific charges against Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Mollah in connection with mass killing and other crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
The fifth charge relates to the atrocities in Alubdi.
Earlier, the tribunal completed recording the cross-examination of Nur Jahan, the eighth prosecution witness in the case.
After lunch, defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder cross-examined Nurjahan who testified before the tribunal on August 13.
Sobhan said, “Do you know your date of birth.”
Nurjahan said, “I don't know.”
“You were not even born when the incident occurred [during the Liberation War],” said the defence counsel.
“It is not true,” replied Nurjahan.
In her testimony, Nurjahan had said she was 13 during the Liberation War and was pregnant at that time.
Abdus Sobhan said that the witness has given “false statement concealing the truth”.
Nurjahan refuted the defence claim.
The defence asked her around 60 questions in one and a quarter hours.