War crimes evidence found against 13 suspects

Investigators have found evidence against 13 suspects of Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Patuakhali for their alleged crimes against humanity committed during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.

Of them, eight suspects hailed from Mymensingh and Jamalpur have been made accused in a case while five Patuakhali men in another case.

The accused were either member of peace committee or Al-Badr or Razakar bahini, Abdul Hannan Khan, coordinator of the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal, and told reporters at a press conference at its Dhanmondi office today.

The accused from Mymensingh and Jamalpur are Rezaul Karim, 65, ABM Yunus Ali, 65, Yusuf Ali, 60, Omar Faruk alias Omar Ali, 70, Nasir Uddin, 64, Ismail Hossain, 65, AKM Belayed Hossain, 64, and Kazi badrizzaman alias Chand Kazi, 65, while the Patuakhali suspects are Eshak Sikder, 83, Abdul Gani Sikder, 72, Awal Moulvi, 69, Sattar Pyada, 65 and Solaiman Mridha, 86.

While addressing the conference, Sanaul Huq, co-coordinator of the agency, said some 11 agricultural University teachers had taken stance against the Liberation War in 1971. “Former education minister and BNP leader Osman Faruk was one of them,” he said.

“We have found evidence against Faruk but are yet to start formal investigation in this regard,” Huq said.

BNP chairperson’s adviser Faruk, however, denied the allegations terming those “totally false and baseless”.