Mojaheed involved in killing a dozen

A martyr's son yesterday testified that 10-12 people including his father were shot following a signal by Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed near his sister's house at Bakchar in Faridpur during the Liberation War.
Sakti Saha, son of martyr Upendra Narayan Saha of Goalchamat of Faridpur, said when Mojaheed and his accomplices tied his father and were taking him away, his mother and sister begged for his life offering their ornaments, but they did not pay heed to their appeal.
“I want justice," Sakti, 13th prosecution witness in the case against the Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general, appealed to the International Crimes Tribunal-2 with tears rolling down his face.
On January 15, Chitta Ranjan Saha, 12th prosecution witness in the case, testified that members of Peace Committee, Al-Badr and Biharis killed at least 10 people in Bakchar on the very day Mojaheed and other Peace Committee leaders held a meeting in Faridpur.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan with members Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Judge M Shahinur Islam completed recording his testimony before adjourning the case proceeding until February 26.
The tribunal indicted Mojaheed, also a former minister of the BNP-led four-party government, with seven charges including murder, torture, genocide, and hatching conspiracy to kill intellectuals during the Liberation War.
During his 36-minute testimony, Sakti said the houses of Abdul Ali, father of Mojaheed, and former member Shamsul Mollah, were in neighbouring Khabaspur and "I knew them from my childhood and I was also acquainted to them".
The 57-year-old witness said Pakistani army entered Faridpur on April 21, 1971 and set up camps at Faridpur Circuit House, district stadium and other areas. Out of fear their family took shelter in his sister's house at Bakchar that day, he added.
After seven days, some Biharis and Muslims looted the house of his sister before setting it on fire, said Sakti, adding that they took shelter in the neighbouring village and returned to his sister's house in the night.
Sakti said when he had gone to Khalilpur market around 10-11:00am on 29th Baishakh, he had seen Mojaheed, Alauddin Khan, Chairman Jalil Moulavi coming to the board office on an open jeep to form Peace Committee.
"I had seen the incident. I was present at the market," he said, adding that after returning to his sister's house he climbed up a tree to eat fruits to satiate his hunger.
"After the meeting, I saw the people I have mentioned earlier [Mojaheed, Alauddin Khan, Jalil Moulavi] left a jeep near the house of Binoy Sarker of Bakchar village around 2:00-2:30pm," said Sakti.
"At that time, there was a revolver in Mojaheed's hand and the Biharis were carrying rifles. They tied my father Upendra Narayan Saha and some others," said Sakti.
"When my mother and sister begged my father's life offering their gold ornaments to them, they said my father would be released. But instead of releasing him, they lined up 10-12 people at Shree Angan," he said adding, "Then Mojaheed made some signal and sounds of gunshots were heard."
"Bullets hit my father and others and they collapsed. After half an hour, I went there and found my father's body lying on the ground," said emotion-chocked Sakti.
He added one Ohab Bihari, who was a Razakar, hit his mother with the butt of his rifle that day, and after the killings, Sakti's family and many other Hindu families left the country and took shelter in different refugee camps in India.
Nripen Sikder, Biren Saha and others were killed along with his father and two women were shot dead after being raped by Biharis that day, Sakti said.
In the last part of his testimony, Sakti identified Mojaheed in the dock.
"I knew Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed since my childhood. My brother Khirod Lal Saha was classmate of Mojaheed's younger brother. I can't remember his name," said Sakti.
Before adjournment of the case proceeding, defence counsel Gazi MH Tamim asked Sakti four questions.
Meanwhile, the tribunal continued recording cross-examination of Abdur Razzaque Khan, 18th prosecution witness and investigation officer of the case against another Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman for the third day.
During the two-hour-and-50-minute cross-examination, defence counsel Kafil Uddin Chowdhury mostly asked questions about prosecution documents.
The tribunal adjourned the case proceeding until today when Razzaque would face further cross-examination.
The tribunal also fixed today for passing an order over a prosecution petition for limiting the number of defence witnesses in the case after hearing the petition yesterday.
Earlier, the defence submitted a list 1,354 witnesses to defend Kamaruzzaman.