3rd defence witness testifies for Forkan

Testifying on the charge of forced conversion of three Hindu brothers during the Liberation War, the third defence witness for Forkan Mallik, an alleged Razakar of Patuakhali, yesterday said all his family members, including the three, "converted voluntarily" to Islam in fear of the Pakistani army and that no Razakar or Pakistani troop was present at that time of the conversion.

Gobinda Kundu, 56, son of Ramani Kundu, who was among the three, also told the International Crimes Tribunal-2 that he never saw Forkan before yesterday and that he had been hearing the name of Forkan for the last one or one-and-a-half years after people started mentioning Forkan's name as a "war criminal".

The two other brothers are Shyam Sundar Kundu and Sunil Kundu of Subidkhali of Mirzaganj. According to the charge, the three were subjected to forced conversion to Islam and deportation, in which Forkan was directly involved. Forkan of Mirzaganj in Patuakhali faces five charges including murders and rapes in 1971.

Gobinda said his family members returned to Hindu religion after the Liberation War.

According to the prosecution, the three Hindu families left Bangladesh for India when local Razakars took away Ramani's daughter and married her off to a Muslim man, even after their forced conversion to Muslim.

But, Gobinda said her sister got married to a Muslim man in 1977/1978 of her own. His uncles left Bangladesh around four/five years after the war, while his father left Bangladesh in 1998/1999, he added.

During his cross-examination, Prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman Badal suggested that the witness gave a "false testimony" being influence by the side of the defendant. Gobinda refuted it.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan adjourned the case proceeding until May 10, when the fourth defence witness will give his testimony.