Thousands killed in Chupnagar

The Pakistan army killed several thousand people in Chupnagar during the Liberation War, said Mahbub Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram, sub-divisional police officer of Jhenidah in 1971, in his deposition before International Crimes Tribunal-1.
Meanwhile, the first prosecution witness against Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman testified before International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday. Kamaruzzaman has submitted a list of 1,357 defence witnesses in his case.
The second prosecution witness against war crimes accused Ghulam Azam at Tribunal-1 yesterday said he had heard such massacres were also carried out throughout the country.
During the nine-month-long war, the auxiliary forces (Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams) accompanied the Pakistani army and helped it find freedom fighters as well as freedom aspirants in order to kill them, said the freedom fighter.
Former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam led these auxiliary forces in committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, said the witness.
“The Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha led these crimes against humanity and anti-liberation crimes. As a big party's leader, Ghulam Azam and his associates took command of the auxiliary forces,” said Mahbub.
“Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams called themselves patriots and termed freedom fighters as traitors. They worked as the associate force of Pakistan's occupation force and killed people in masses, tortured women, looted and torched houses and villages,” Mahbub said.
Mahbub, who is now 67, said he had heard that Ghulam Azam met the then Pakistan president Yahya Khan to convert the Shanti (Peace) committee and the Razakars into the armed forces.
“Ansar force was abolished to legitimise the Razakars. Interested men of the Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams were given arms, salaries and allowances,” the freedom fighter said.
Of his two-hour-long deposition, Mahbub spent an hour and a half on his operations during the Liberation War. He led freedom fighters in Jhenidah and planned and took part in several large operations to root out the Pakistani army there.
During the war, many Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams men were captured by freedom fighters.
Mahbub said he had heard from the detained and from the radio that Ghulam Azam, Nurul Amin and Khwaja Khairuddin also met General Tikka Khan in the first week of April 1971. “After liberation, I saw the photo of their meeting in newspapers,” he added.
“From the detained activists and radio news I learnt that the leaders of the political parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League and PDP, which lost in the 1970 elections, met Tikka Khan and supported Operation Searchlight,” Mahbub said, adding that the leaders had made a plan to form peace committees all over the country.
Ghulam Azam, indicted on five charges of crimes against humanity on May 13, was present at the tribunal during the deposition.
The tribunal fixed today for the cross-examination of the witness.
Tribunal-1 later on continued recording the cross-examination of the investigation officer of the case filed against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
The IO is the last prosecution witness against Sayedee, who is facing charges on 20 specific counts for crimes against humanity.
KAMARUZZAMAN
A prosecution witness yesterday told Tribunal-2 that Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman had tried to persuade him, while he was detained at an Al-Badr camp during the Liberation War, to join him and root out the freedom fighters.
Hamidul Haque, a freedom fighter, former student leader and the first prosecution witness in the war crimes case against Kamaruzzaman, said the Jamaat leader at the Al-Badr camp had asked him to join the movement to “save Pakistan”.
“I noticed [during detention at the camp] that Kamaruzzaman Shaheb, one of the key leaders of the Al-Badr camp, had made plans for several anti-liberation operations and the Al-Badr men of the camp used to go out on different operations at night,” said the prosecution witness.
Hamidul gave his statement before the tribunal and appealed for the punishment of the accused “for committing crimes against humanity”.
The three-member Tribunal-2 headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir with members Justice Obaidul Hassan and Judge Md Shahinur Islam also recorded the cross-examination of the witness before it adjourned the case proceedings until today.
In nearly two hours of testimony, Hamidul, 63, said he had taken part at the 1970 election campaign for the Awami League-blessed candidates in greater Mymensingh. He was vice-president of Ananda Mohan College students' forum in 1971.
The witness said when the Pakistani forces reached Mymensingh town in mid April 1971, he and his compatriots skipped town and set up freedom fighters' camps in rural areas. Later, he joined the Mujib Bahini, said Hamidul.
During the war, Hamidul and freedom fighter Ahid went on a reconnaissance mission in Mymensingh town. They had taken cover at the house of engineer Rafique Hasnat, son-in-law of the then national assembly member Mosharraf Hossain Akand, said the witness.
“But local Al-Badr men Tarek, Mohan, Sarowar found out and Al-Badr men and the Pakistani forces raided the house and detained me and freedom fighter Taher. They took us away, having first blindfolded us.
“When the blindfolds were taken off 24 hours later, we knew we were at the camp of Al-Badr Bahini at Mymensingh Zila Parishad dak bungalow [rest house],” he said, adding, “They tortured me blindfolded and asked me to pray and prepare for death.”
The witness said he and Taher were produced before Brig Kadir Khan, chief of the Pakistan army in greater Mymensingh during the war, at the camp.
“After identifying him, Kadir said, 'don't kill him. Hamid is a reputed students' leader. He will raise public opinion in favour of Pakistan',” said Hamidul, adding, “Then they [Al-Badr men] sort of released me but kept me under surveillance at the camp.”
“Kamaruzzaman had gone to the camp and asked me to fight to 'save Pakistan' and join the movement for wiping out freedom fighters,” said Hamidul, adding that he was detained at the camp probably for 26 days.
Hamidul said the Al-Badr men were under the impression that Hamidul had been persuaded to join Al-Badr but actually he had convinced an Al-Badr man, Sultan, to help him flee.
“I had the chance to talk to all the Al-Badr men, as they trusted me…,” he added.
Quoting Sultan, Hamidul said Kamaruzzaman had taken part in an operation at Ananda Mohan College in which a bearer of a dormitory of the college was killed and Sirajuddin, the then principal of the college, was tortured.
“After liberation, Sirajuddin also told me about the incident,” said Hamidul, adding that during his detention at the camp Pakistani forces and their collaborators conducted two other killings, one at Sohagpur of Nalitabari and another at Baraitala of Kishoreganj.
He also said Kamaruzzaman had gone to Pakistan while he was in detention at the camp and after his return he encouraged his cohorts “to save Pakistan and wipe out freedom fighters”.
All assaults in the greater Mymensingh district were conducted by Al-Badr men from that camp in cooperation with the Pakistan occupation army, said Hamidul.
He said when he fled the camp, Al-Badr men conducted several operations in Mymensingh town looking for him. Al-Badr attacked a house in Gulkibari and killed a man named Toonu.
“I heard that the operations were conducted under the leadership of Kamaruzzaman,” said the witness.
In his testimony, Hamidul also described the activities of the political organisations that worked against the pro-liberation forces.
After the lunch, defence counsel Kafil Uddin Chowdhury cross-examined the witness for two hours and asked around 80 questions mostly on the 1970 election and the Al-Badr camp.
Replying to a question, Hamidul said the Pakistan army looted his house at Tarail during the war.
On June 4, Kamaruzzaman was indicted on seven charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the war. He was produced before the court yesterday.
MOJAHEED
Tribunal-2 yesterday rejected a petition for reviewing the indictment order against war crimes accused Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
Justice Obaidul Hassan delivered the order with the observation that "the matter [in the review petition] may as well be decided at the trial stage".
On June 21, the tribunal indicted Mojaheed on seven charges of crimes against humanity but on July 1, the defence filed the petition seeking a review of the indictment order.
DEFENCE WITNESSES OF QUADER AND KAMARUZZAMAN
The defence of war crimes accused Abdul Quader Mollah and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman submitted their documents and lists of witnesses yesterday.
Farid Uddin Khan, one of the defence counsels, told The Daily Star that the defence had submitted most of their documents and a list of 965 witnesses for Quader at the registrar office of the tribunal yesterday.
Tajul Islam, another defence counsel, told The Daily Star that they had submitted a list of 1,357 witnesses for Kamaruzzaman.