Charges accepted against Jamalpur ‘Al-Badr men’

A special tribunal in Dhaka today accepted five war crimes charges leveled against eight suspects of Jamalpur, who had links with Al-Badr during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.    

The prosecution on April 19 pressed charges of murder, abduction and torture against the eight war crimes suspects for their alleged involvement in nine criminal incidents.

According to the prosecution, the crimes were committed between April 22 and December 11, 1971 in Jamalpur.

The accused are Ashraf Hossain, 64, Prof Sharif Ahammed, 71, Abdul Mannan, 66, Abdul Bari, 62, Harun, 58, Abul Hashem, 65, Shamsul Haque, 75, and AKM Yusuf Ali, 83. Of them, Shamsul and Yusuf are in jail and the rest are absconding.

Today, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 also ordered the inspector general of police to submit a report by May 6 on whether the six men are absconding.

EVIDENCE FOUND AGAINST ‘HABIGANJ RAZAKARS’

Investigators today said it has found evidence against two siblings of Habiganj -- Mahibur Rahman Boromian, 70, former chairman of Baniachang upazila's Khagaura union parishad; and Majibur Rahman Angur Mian, 65, -- over their alleged involvement in the wartime offences.

“We have found their (the two war crimes suspects siblings) involvements with killing, raping, torturing and abducting people in four incidents of crimes,” said Abdul Hannan Khan, coordinator of the investigation agency designated to investigate the war crimes cases.

Addressing at a press conference at its Dhanmondi office, Hannan said the investigators will show 21 people as prosecution witnesses.

Sanaul Huq, senior member of the investigation agency, said they will submit the probe report and other documents to the prosecution tomorrow.

Arrested on February 10, Mahibur and Majibur have been kept in a jail.

The brothers allegedly formed the Razakar Bahini, the Pakistani occupation army's auxiliary force, in their area and used to hand over freedom fighters to the army.