2 Kishoreganj Razakars get death penalty

Staff Correspondent: The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 sentenced two Razakars from Kishoreganj to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

Justice Anwarul Haque, chairman of the two-member panel of the ICT-1, delivered the verdict on Wednesday after completing the closing arguments of the prosecution and the defence.

Two other members of the trial panel included Justice Md Shahinur Islam and Justice Md Shohrowardi.

The condemned war criminals are -- Syed Mohammad Hussain, 64, and Muhammad Moslem Pradhan, 66.

Moslem is in jail while Hussain is on the run.

Hussain, younger brother of convicted war criminal Syed Hasan Ali, was sentenced to death over two charges while Moslem in one charge.

All the six charges brought against them were proved in the case.

The tribunal set today (Wednesday) to deliver the verdict in the crimes against humanity case against two alleged Razakars.

Earlier on March 7, the tribunal had kept the judgement waiting for announcement after concluding hearing against them.

According to the tribunal's investigation agency, Moslem of Kamarhati village in Nikli upazila was arrested on July 7, 2015 after the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for the duo. On the other side, Hussain left for Malaysia on May 21, 2014 and investigation began on November 13 that year.

Hussain was the commander of the Razakar force in Nikli upazila of Kishoreganj and was known as “Razakarer Daroga”, while his brother Syed Hassan commanded the Razakars in Tarail upazila.

He was originally from Machihata village (Pir Bari) in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila but had been living with his family in Kishoreganj Sadar upazila since 1936 as his father worked there, according to the investigators.

His father, Syed Musleh Uddin, was vice-president of the then East Pakistan unit of Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) and chairman of the Peace Committee in Kishoreganj sub-division in 1971, the investigators added. Both PDP and Peace Committee worked against Bangladesh's independence.

On the other hand, Moslem was a Razakar member and Hussain's associate, according to the prosecution.

The tribunal on May 9 last year framed charges against the duo and the prosecution produced 23 witnesses to prove the charges. The defence produced one witness.

The prosecution on December 29, 2015, submitted formal charge in the case, pressing six charges of the crimes against humanity against the accused. The ICT-1 on January 7, 2016, took the charges into cognizance and indicted the duo on May 9, 2016.

risingbd/DHAKA/Apr 19, 2017/Mehedi/Amirul