Al-Badr's killing of intellectuals was planned

The Al-Badr killed the country's intellectuals and professionals in a planned way in 1971, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told the Supreme Court yesterday, arguing for sustenance of the death sentence on Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, a then leader of the anti-independence force.

He placed arguments on the sixth day of the apex court's hearing on the appeal that the Jamaat secretary general filed against the death penalty on him.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Mojaheed to death for abducting and killing eminent journalist Serajuddin Hossain and merged this offence with the charge of killing intellectuals and professionals, the attorney general said.

A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha adjourned the hearing till May 24.

Earlier, Mojaheed's lawyer SM Shahjahan submittedstatements of the witnesses, investigation officer, and ICT-2 verdict to the SC.

On the night of December 10, 1971, seven to eight youths, wearing ski masks and carrying rifles, abducted Serajuddin from his house in the capital's Chamelibagh. He never returned.

The ICT-2 judgment says it is quite evident that Al-Badr men had abducted Serajuddin.

Mojaheed was a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student front of Jamaat. Most of the Sangha's members joined the Al-Badr. Mojaheed filed his appeal with the SC on August 11, 2013 after the ICT-2 gave him the death penalty in connection with three charges on July 17 the same year.

According to the verdict, Mojaheed had led a “death squad” named Al-Badr that worked as an auxiliary force for the Pakistani army.