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21 sued for '71 war crimes in Khulna, Jamalpur

15 April 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

Star National Desk

Twenty-one alleged collaborators of Pakistani occupation forces have been sued for murder, rape and looting in Khulna and Jamalpur during the Liberation War in 1971. Batiaghata Police Station under Khulna district recorded a case against 14 'rajakars' following a court order yesterday, according to our staff correspondent. Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court in Khulna issued the order after hearing a petition filed by Ranjita Roy, wife of slain Atul Chandra Roy of Shukhdara village under Batiaghata upazila. In the petition, Ranjita stated that her husband Atul Chandra Roy was gunned down by the accused, led by rajakar commander Habibur Rahman, at Shukhdara village on the 3rd of Bangla month Kartik during the Liberation War. The accused also gunned down Lalit Mondal and Gajendar Mondal of the same village that day, the complainant said. Apart from the killings, the accused let loose a reign of terror resorting to looting, rape and setting houses of Hindu families at the village on fire, she further mentioned in her petition. The accused are rajakar commander Habibur Rahman and his accomplices Shahor Ali, Jamir Sarder, Ashraf Ali, Kamaluddin Golder, Khalil Golder, Nausher Sheikh, Sabur Sheikh, Salim Sheikh, Wazed Morol, Aziz Mallick, Amjad Halder, Mozahar and Jalhad. With the 14, the total number of 'rajakars' so far sued for war crimes at different places of Batiaghata upazila stands at 47 four separate cases. In Jamalpur, Seven alleged rajakars have been sued for killing a freedom fighter in Bakshiganj upazila during the War of Independence in 1971, reports UNB. Aitan Bewa, 70, mother of martyred freedom fighter Akhter Hossain of Batrajore Purbapara in the upazila, filed the case against the seven with Judicial Magistrate's Court here on Monday. The court asked the officer-in-charge of Bakshiganj Police Station to take necessary legal steps after proper investigation. The accused are Fazlul Haque, Momtaj Uddin, 58, Dula Mia, 59, Tana Badar, 58, Jafar, 57, Abdul Karim, 59, and Habibur Rahman Mandol, 56. The complainant in her case statement said the accused picked up Akhter from a road at the village on October 22, 1971, took him to Bakshiganj camp and killed him. Earlier on March 30, Naufal Bibi of Tangaripara village of the same upazila filed another case with the same court against four other collaborators for killing her husband during the Liberation War.