Syed Mohammad Qaisar

A tribunal in Dhaka today accepted charges against Syed Mohammad Qaisar, an alleged Razakar commander and member of Peace Committee in Habiganj, for his “wartime role” during the Liberation War in 1971.
The International Crimes Trubunal-2 led by Justice Obaidul Hassan fixed November 27 for starting the charge framing hearing.
According to the formal charges, Qaisar was “involved” in at least 11 incidents of killing that left 155 people dead, two incidents of rape and five incidents of abduction, loot, arson and other crimes between April 27 and November 15, 1971.
On November 10, the prosecution, including Zead Al Malum and Tureen Afroz, submitted the formal charges to the tribunal’s registrar office.
Seventy-three-year-old Qaisar, a former state minister in military dictator HM Ershad’s cabinet, was arrested in the capital on May 21 following a warrant of arrest issued by the tribunal.
The war crimes suspect was granted bail on August 5 on health grounds.
After probing the allegations against Qaisar for 16 months, the war crimes investigation agency on September 22 said that it had found “horrifying evidence” of Qaisar’s involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide.
According to the investigation agency, Qaisar, son of Syed Soeed Uddin Ahmed of Itakhola village of Madhabpur, Habiganj, was a Razakar commander and a member of the local Peace Committee. He guided the Pakistani army in their operations against the Hindus of different villages in Habiganj and Brahmanbaria districts during the war.
The agency said he was involved in two counts of rape, the killing of 526 persons, looting of over a thousand houses and torching of 1,500-1,600 houses during the nine-month-long war.
In a single incident on November 15, 1971, Qaisar along with his force and the Pakistani army killed hundreds of people, looted and torched their houses in about two dozen villages in Brahmanbaria, the probe body said.
CHARGES AGAINST QAISER
1. Killing of Shahjahan chairman, injuring Nayeb Ali, attack, arson and loot in Kazibari under Bijoynagar in Brahmanbaria on April 27.
2. Loot and arson in Madhabpur Bazar and Katiara under Madhabpur in Habiganj on April 27.
3. Killing of four people and loot and arson at Krishnanagar village under Madhabpur, Habiganj on April 27.
4. Killing of 15 people, including Abdus Sattar at Madhabpur Bazar, Purba Madhabpur and Sadatbari village in Madhabpur, Habiganj on April 28.
5. Confinement, torture and killing of seven people, including Abdul Aziz, near Shayestaganj Godown and Bridge in Shayestaganj, Habiganj, on April 29.
6. Confinement, torture and killing of two persons, including Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed of Nizampur and Kirtanpur in Habiganj Sadar on April 29.
7. Arson and loot at 40/50 houses at Habiganj Sadar on April 30.
8. Rape of a Santal woman at Chandpur Tea Garden on May 11.
9. Killing of eight people, including Abdul Aziz, at Lohadaha in Madhabpur, Habiganj on May 15.
10. Killing of Shah Firoz of Mokambari village in Habiganj Sadar and abduction, confinement and torture of Sabu Mia on June 13.
11. Abduction, confinement, torture of Golam Rasul and his family members at Haripur in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria in the last part of June.
12. Attack, loot and arson at the house of Dayal Gobinda of Gutma village in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria on June 23.
13. Attack, loot and arson at the house of Sayedul Haque at Purbavag village in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria on June 23.
14. Rape of a woman and torture of two men of Madhabpur, Habiganj in mid-August.
15. Confinement, torture and killing of four people at Narapati village, Chunarughat, Habiganj on August 18.
16. Confinement, torture and killing of four people of Mouzpur in Madhabpur, Habiganj on September 29.
17. Abduction, confinement, torture and killing of Nazim Uddin of Sahapur village in Madhabpur, Habiganj in mid-October.
18. Killing of at least 108 people, mostly Hindus, in 22 villages in Nasirnagar upazila in Brahmanbaria on November 15.