International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) is likely to pass the verdict against Jamaat-e-Islami leader
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman today.
The three-member tribunal, headed by its chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan, set the date for the verdict delivery on Wednesday. Kamaruzzaman, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-July 15 in the case of Kamaruzzaman. A total of 18 prosecution witnesses including investigation officer Abdur Razzaq Khan gave their depositions against Kamaruzzaman; while five defence witnesses appeared to testify for the Jamaat leader. Kamaruzzaman‘s son Muhammad Hasan Iqbal and his elder brother Kafiluddin were among the five defence witnesses. Prosecution submitted formal charge against Kamaruzzaman on January 15, 2012, implicating him in nine allegations. The tribunal-1 took the charges into cognizance on January 31 in the same year.
Later, the case of Kamaruzzaman was transferred to the tribunal-2 following the request of chief prosecutor on April 16 last year.
Kamaruzzaman was arrested on July 13, 2010 and was shown arrest by the ICT for the allegations of crimes against humanity on August 2 in the same year.
The ICT-2 earlier passed verdicts against two war crimes suspects.
It handed down death penalty to Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar on January 21 this year and on February 5 sentenced Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Molla to life imprisonment for their involvements in crimes against humanity.
Following are seven charges:
1. Killing of Badiuzzaman: A group of Al-Badr members under the leadership of Kamaruzzaman picked up Badiuzzaman of Ramnagar village under Jhenaigati upazila in Sherpur on June 29, 1971. They took him to Ahammednagar army camp. The Al Badrs shot him dead on the following day.
2. Torture of Hannan: Kamaruzzaman and his accomplices mercilessly tortured Syed Abdul Hannan, a teacher of Sherpur College. They forced him to walk naked in public through the town under constant whipping for his pro-liberation stance in May, 1971.
3. Sohaghpur mass killing: The members of Al Badr and Razakar committed mass killing in association with the Pakistani occupation army under the guidance of Kamaruzzaman in Sohaghpur village of Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur on July 25, 1971. They killed 164 unarmed civilians including 44 women, who were also raped by the anti-liberation elements.
4. Killing of Golam Mostafa: A group of collaborators took Golam Mostafa Talukder to an Al-Badr camp set at the house of Surendra Mohon Saha on the instruction of Kamaruzzaman on August 23, 1971. Kamaruzzaman and his accomplices fired shots at Mostafa and another person named Abul Kasem.
Kasem survived with bullet injuries in his fingers as he jumped into the river but Mostafa died on the spot.
5. Killing of Liaquat and others: Kamaruzzaman and his followers picked up Liaquat Ali and Mujibur Rahman Panu from their respective houses. They took them to a Razakar camp and tortured them during the month of Ramadan.
After four days, they were taken to Ahammednagar army camp at Jhenaigati along with 11 others on the instruction of Kamaruzzaman. Later, eight of them including Liaquat were shot to death. Kamaruzzaman and his aide Kamran were present during the killing.
6. Killing of Tunu: Some Al Badr members under the instruction of Kamaruzzaman abducted Tunu and one Jahangir from Golki Bari, Mymensingh and took them to the Dak Bungalow in November 1971. Tunu was tortured to death, while Jahangir was detained. Later, Jahangir got released.
7. Killing of Tepa Mia and others: Kamaruzzaman accompanied by 15-20 armed Al Badr members picked up one Tepa Mia and his elder son Zahurul Islam Dara from Golapjan Road in Mymensingh on Ramadan 27 in 1971. They were taken to the Al Badr camp at Dak Bungalow.
The next morning, Tepa Mia and his son along with five others were killed on the bank of the Brahmaputra river. Tepa Mia managed to escape by jumping into the river, but the other six were killed on the spot.
Courtesy of The Independent
