Evidence found against ex-chief of upazila AL

International Crimes Tribunal's investigation agency yesterday said to have found evidence of crimes committed by eight persons, including a former Awami League (AL) leader and a Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, from Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Gaibandha during the 1971 Liberation War.

The accused, on the run, were "involved" with the Pakistani occupation army's two auxiliary forces, Razakar Bahini and Al-Badr Bahini, and "committed" genocide, murder, abduction, confinement, torture, arson and looting, investigators told journalists at its Dhanmondi office.

Liakat Ali, 61, former president of Habiganj's Lakhai upazila unit AL, and Aminul Islam alias Rajab Ali, 62, of Astogram upazila in Kishoreganj are accused in one case.

Abu Saleh Md Abdul Aziz Mia, 65, a former Jamaat lawmaker from Gaibandha; Ruhul Amin alias Manju, 61; Abdul Latif, 61; Abu Muslim Md Ali, 59; Najmul Huda, 60; and Abdur Rahim Mia, 62; of Gaibandha's Sundarganj upazila are accused in another.

The agency will today hand over the investigation reports and other documents to the prosecution which would scrutinise those and, if they find those satisfactory, submit formal charges to initiate the trials.

HABIGANJ, KISHOREGANJ CASE

A college student in 1971, Liakat, son of Khelu Mia of Lakhai, was involved with Muslim League along with his maternal uncle, said the investigation agency's Coordinator Abdul Hannan Khan.

During the Liberation War, Liakat's uncle became chairman of Fandauk Union Peace Committee in bordering Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila while he led the union's Razakar Bahini, he said.

Liakat committed the crimes with assistance from the Pakistani army, went into hiding after the Liberation War and later got involved with the AL, said Hannan, adding that he was now believed to be in the US.

The agency's co-coordinator Sanaul Huq said Liakat was the incumbent chairman of Morakari union and they "had no information" on whether he had been expelled from the AL. He went into hiding when investigations began on November 5, 2014, he added.

Hannan said Aminul, son of Abdul Goni Munshi of Astogram, was president of Jamaat's the then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha's Hazi Hasmat Ali College unit in 1970 and formed Al-Badr Bahini with Chhatra Sangha men during the Liberation War.

He committed the atrocities in association with the Pakistani army and his force and freedom fighters caught him at the end of the Liberation War, he said.

Three cases were filed against him under Collaborator Act-1972 and he was given life sentence but got released in 1981 after the political changeover, Hannan.

"The self-proclaimed criminal" even wrote a book titled "Ami Al-Badr Bolchi" after his release, said Hannan.

The seven criminal incidents they were found to have been involved in are looting and killing of 43 Hindu men in Krishanpur in Lakhai, killing of nine Hindu men in Chandipur in Lakhai, killing of 26 Hindu men in Gadainagar in Lakhai, killing of eight Hindu men in Sadanagar village in Lakhai, killing of one Rangu Mia in Nasirnagar, killing of five men in Sabiyanagar in Astogram, and killing of 10 other men in the same village.

GAIBANDHA CASE

Abu Saleh, commander of a local Razakar Bahini, and the remaining five accused and the Pakistani army committed the atrocities, said Hannan.

Now involved with Jamaat, all of them went into hiding after investigations began and are inside the country, said Hannan.

The three charges against them are looting and killing of one Hindu man of Moujamali village in Gaibandha sadar upazila, killing of one Chhatra League leader in Sundarganj upazila, and killing of 13 chairmen and members of five union councils in Sundarganj.