Evidence found against 5 Moulvibazar suspects

The International Crimes Tribunal's investigation agency yesterday said to have found evidence of the “involvement” of five Moulvibazar men in six incidents of crimes committed in their home district during the 1971 Liberation War.

“The allegations...have been preliminarily proved during investigations,” the agency's Coordinator Abdul Hannan Khan told journalists at a press conference in its Dhanmondi office in the capital.

He said the incidents included murders and genocide leaving at least 18 people dead, abductions of 11 persons and looting and torching of at least 22 houses under Rajnagar Police Station between November 22 and December 8.

Samsul Hossain Tarafder, 65, of Bagajura was an Al-Badr commander while Nesar Ali, 75, of Jamura; Yunus Ahmed, 71, of Sonatiki; Ujer Ahmed Chowdhury, 63, of Goashpur village; and Mobarak Mia, 66, under Rajnagar, were involved with the Razakar Bahini, he added.

Yunus and Ujer have been in jail since their arrest on October 13 last year following a warrant issued by the tribunal-1.

Hannan said the five were collaborators of the Pakistani occupation army working under the leaderships of now-deceased Barik Mia and Nasid Ali, the chairmen of anti-liberation Peace Committee in Munshibazar and Uttarbhag unions respectively.

Starting on October 12, 2014, the investigation was completed yesterday with 36 people being cited as prosecution witnesses, he said.

The case's investigating officer Hari Devnath said he would hand over the probe reports, witnesses' statements and other documents to the prosecution today for scrutiny and, if found satisfactory, the submission of formal charges to initiate the trial. 

Charges: killing of Danu Mia, looting and torching of three houses and confinement of three people between November 22 and December 5; abduction, confinement and torture of three people and looting and torching of the houses of one Harendra Bhattacharya on November 23; killing of one Jamini Mohan Dev and abduction, confinement and torture of three people on November 25; abduction of four people including one Rasraj Bhattacharya on November 27; abduction and torture of four people and killing of two in between November 29 and December 8; and killing of 14 people including one Shushital Dhar on December 29.