War crimes trial

Martyr�s son testifies against eight Jamalpur accused

Rafikuzzaman Mallik, son of martyr Nurul Amin Mallik, yesterday submitted deposition along with another prosecution witness (PW), in the trial of eight alleged Razakars and Al Badrs from Jamalpur, reports BSS. The eight accused are - Md Ashraf Hossain, Sharif Hossain, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Md Harun, Abul Hashem, Shamsul Haque and SM Eusuf Ali. Rafik, a 50-year-old businessman from Jamalpur town, appeared as PW-4 and narrated how his father was abducted on the night of July 9, 1971, by Sharif, Mannan and Ashraf and their men. The witness broke down in tears on the dock and started sobbing as he was describing the moments, when his father was being taken away by his abductors.
“I woke up by the sound of crying and saw it was my grandparents, who were crying out loud standing in front of the gate of our room. I saw a gun barrel pointing at the chest of my grandfather. He was saying, Sharif, Mannan, Ashraf, you please don’t harm my son. The intruders then left taking my father along,” Rafik said.
“The next morning I got to learn that Al Badr men have taken my father away. Elders of my family rushed to local members of Al Badr and Peace Committee including Eusuf, Sharif and Moktob Kabiraj to secure the release of my father. They assured my elders that nothing will happen to my father. But on July 11, 1971, we found the body of my father floating in the Brahmaputra,” the witness added.
Rafik at the end of his testimony sought justice for the killing of his father. After that, defence counsels Mizanur Rahman and Abdus Subhan Tarafder cross-examined him.
Rafik was followed by Hedayetul Islam Faruk on the dock. A jute trader, Faruk testified as PW-5. He submitted deposition in support of the charge one, three and four.
Faruk, whose father was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami during the war, narrated the crimes committed by Pakistan occupation army and their local collaborators in his locality. Names of Ashraf, Mannan, Bari and Harun came out in his testimony as the members of Al Badr.
After his deposition, Justice Md Shahinur Islam, senior member of the two-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1, adjourned the hearing till today.
The ICT-1 on October 26 indicted the accused, framing five charges of crimes against humanity against them.
According to the prosecution, Ashraf was the president of then Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS) in Jamalpur and founded Al-Badr in his locality in 1971. The other accused too were involved with ICS and its mother organisation Jamaat and subsequently joined Al-Badr, Razakar and Peace Committee, notorious auxiliary forces of Pakistani occupation army.

War crimes trial

Martyr�s son testifies against eight Jamalpur accused

Rafikuzzaman Mallik, son of martyr Nurul Amin Mallik, yesterday submitted deposition along with another prosecution witness (PW), in the trial of eight alleged Razakars and Al Badrs from Jamalpur, reports BSS. The eight accused are - Md Ashraf Hossain, Sharif Hossain, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Md Harun, Abul Hashem, Shamsul Haque and SM Eusuf Ali. Rafik, a 50-year-old businessman from Jamalpur town, appeared as PW-4 and narrated how his father was abducted on the night of July 9, 1971, by Sharif, Mannan and Ashraf and their men. The witness broke down in tears on the dock and started sobbing as he was describing the moments, when his father was being taken away by his abductors. I woke up by the sound of crying and saw it was my grandparents, who were crying out loud standing in front of the gate of our room. I saw a gun barrel pointing at the chest of my grandfather. He was saying, Sharif, Mannan, Ashraf, you please dont harm my son. The intruders then left taking my father along, Rafik said. The next morning I got to learn that Al Badr men have taken my father away. Elders of my family rushed to local members of Al Badr and Peace Committee including Eusuf, Sharif and Moktob Kabiraj to secure the release of my father. They assured my elders that nothing will happen to my father. But on July 11, 1971, we found the body of my father floating in the Brahmaputra, the witness added. Rafik at the end of his testimony sought justice for the killing of his father. After that, defence counsels Mizanur Rahman and Abdus Subhan Tarafder cross-examined him. Rafik was followed by Hedayetul Islam Faruk on the dock. A jute trader, Faruk testified as PW-5. He submitted deposition in support of the charge one, three and four. Faruk, whose father was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami during the war, narrated the crimes committed by Pakistan occupation army and their local collaborators in his locality. Names of Ashraf, Mannan, Bari and Harun came out in his testimony as the members of Al Badr. After his deposition, Justice Md Shahinur Islam, senior member of the two-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1, adjourned the hearing till today. The ICT-1 on October 26 indicted the accused, framing five charges of crimes against humanity against them. According to the prosecution, Ashraf was the president of then Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS) in Jamalpur and founded Al-Badr in his locality in 1971. The other accused too were involved with ICS and its mother organisation Jamaat and subsequently joined Al-Badr, Razakar and Peace Committee, notorious auxiliary forces of Pakistani occupation army.