Evidence found against 2

The International Crimes Tribunal's investigation agency yesterday said it had found evidence of the involvement of two persons in crimes committed in Shariatpur during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.

Sulaiman Mollah, 84, is from Kashipur Muslimpara and Edris Ali Sarder alias Gazi Edris, 67, from Mahmudpur (Pachim Kashabhog), both in Sariatpur sadar upazila.

They were “involved” in killing, mass killing, rape, looting, arson and forced deportation, the agency's coordinator Abdul Hannan Khan told journalists at its Dhanmondi office.

Sulaiman was arrested on June 14, hours after International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued an arrest warrant, said Sanaul Huq, a senior member of the agency, adding that Edris was on the run.

Helal Uddin, the case's investigation officer, submitted the probe report, statements of witnesses and other documents to the prosecution around 1:30pm yesterday, Prosecutor Hrishikesh Saha told The Daily Star.

Now, they will scrutinise those and, if satisfied, will submit formal charges for initiation of trial, Hrishikesh added.

Hannan said Sulaiman was a Muslim League leader and joined Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to contest the 1970's election, only to be defeated and return to Muslim League.

In 1971, he formed Peace Committee and Razakar Bahini to assist the Pakistani occupation army, he added.

Edris was leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and joined Razakar Bahini in 1971, Hannan said.

As per the first charge, Sulaiman and Edris, along with 100 to 150 Pakistani army men, attacked Angaria, Kashabhog and Modhyapara in Palang upazila (now Sariatpur sadar) on May 22, killed around 200 Hindus and one Abdus Samad, and looted and burnt the villages' houses, said Sanaul.

The next day, the accused along with 100 Pakistani army men attacked Malopara and Rudrakar villages and shot dead a priest before looting and burning down all the houses, says the second charge.

They forcibly took around 20 women and 10 to 15 men from the villages to a Pakistani army camp in Madaripur where the women were raped for three days before being released and the men shot dead, said Sanaul citing the charge.

According to the third charge, the duo along with eight to 10 Pakistani army men attacked and looted the home of one Shailendra Krishna Paul in the upazila in June and killed two Hindu guards, said Sanaul.

Citing the fourth charge, Sanaul said the accused and the Pakistani army intimidated around 1,500 people into leaving Bangladesh between March 25 and December 10.

He said investigations against the duo started on April 1 and was completed yesterday and that 28 people were cited as prosecution witnesses.