War crimes
Ex-MP Sakhawat, Adv Shamsuddin land in jail
UNB, Dhaka :
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday sent detained war crimes suspects Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, a former MP of Jessore-6 constituency, and advocate Shamsuddin Ahmed of Kishoreganj, to jail as police through the prosecution produced the duo in the dock in compliance with its orders.
Before passing the orders separately, tribunal chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim asked the detained accused to engage their lawyers to defend their cases. The tribunal chair man also asked the prosecution to assist the accused so that they could contact their relations in this regard.
Police arrested Sakhawat on the ground floor of a house in Masterpara of Uttar Khan in the capital on Saturday while Shamsuddin on November 27 in Kishoreganj.
Producing accused Sakhawat in the dock, prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon sought a month-long time for submitting progress report on investigation into the case. The tribunal allowed the plea fixing December 30 for further order.
According to the ICT investigation agency, Sakhawat, a central committee member of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1971, joined the Razakar militia during the Liberation War and was the in-charge of Hisladanga Razakar camp of Keshabpur, Jessore.
It started inquiry in April, 2012 that has already received a number of allegations of murder, mass killing and other war crimes against Sakhawat. The investigation is yet to be completed, it added.
After Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistani occupation army, he remained absconding and resurfaced in 1986 as a local leader of Jamaat-e -Islami.
Sakhawat, a turncoat politician, was elected MP with Jamaat ticket in 1991. Later, he joined BNP and became MP once again in the highly controversial mid-February 1996 elections. In the 2001 elections, he failed to secure nomination and contested the poll as an independent candidate.
Sakhawat was expelled from the BNP on charge of breaking party discipline and he then joined Jatiya Party.
On November 27, police arrested Shamsuddin, one of the two siblings’ war crimes suspects at Puleghat, Kishoreganj, nine hours after the issuance of arrest warrants by the tribunal.
A day before, investigation agency submitted its comprehensive probe report to the prosecution against Shamsuddin and his brother Nasiruddin Ahmed , a former army captain, who joined the Razakar militia, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army during the Liberation War.
They were allegedly involved in murder, mass killing, loot, confinement and torture. Police are yet to arrest Shamsuddin’s elder brother Capt (retd) Nasiruddin.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday sent detained war crimes suspects Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, a former MP of Jessore-6 constituency, and advocate Shamsuddin Ahmed of Kishoreganj, to jail as police through the prosecution produced the duo in the dock in compliance with its orders.
Before passing the orders separately, tribunal chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim asked the detained accused to engage their lawyers to defend their cases. The tribunal chair man also asked the prosecution to assist the accused so that they could contact their relations in this regard.
Police arrested Sakhawat on the ground floor of a house in Masterpara of Uttar Khan in the capital on Saturday while Shamsuddin on November 27 in Kishoreganj.
Producing accused Sakhawat in the dock, prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon sought a month-long time for submitting progress report on investigation into the case. The tribunal allowed the plea fixing December 30 for further order.
According to the ICT investigation agency, Sakhawat, a central committee member of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1971, joined the Razakar militia during the Liberation War and was the in-charge of Hisladanga Razakar camp of Keshabpur, Jessore.
It started inquiry in April, 2012 that has already received a number of allegations of murder, mass killing and other war crimes against Sakhawat. The investigation is yet to be completed, it added.
After Bangladesh was liberated from the Pakistani occupation army, he remained absconding and resurfaced in 1986 as a local leader of Jamaat-e -Islami.
Sakhawat, a turncoat politician, was elected MP with Jamaat ticket in 1991. Later, he joined BNP and became MP once again in the highly controversial mid-February 1996 elections. In the 2001 elections, he failed to secure nomination and contested the poll as an independent candidate.
Sakhawat was expelled from the BNP on charge of breaking party discipline and he then joined Jatiya Party.
On November 27, police arrested Shamsuddin, one of the two siblings’ war crimes suspects at Puleghat, Kishoreganj, nine hours after the issuance of arrest warrants by the tribunal.
A day before, investigation agency submitted its comprehensive probe report to the prosecution against Shamsuddin and his brother Nasiruddin Ahmed , a former army captain, who joined the Razakar militia, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army during the Liberation War.
They were allegedly involved in murder, mass killing, loot, confinement and torture. Police are yet to arrest Shamsuddin’s elder brother Capt (retd) Nasiruddin.
