A prosecution witness has alleged war crimes accused Abdul Alim had assisted the Pakistani army and its local collaborators in killing and burying 11 people during the Liberation War in Joypurhat.
Abdul Hamid Sakidar told the second war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh on Tuesday that BNP leader Alim headed the notorious ‘Peace Committee’ in the area.
He was later made a minister during the rule of military dictator Ziaur Rahman, who founded the BNP.
Hamid, 57, said the Pakistan Army had committed widespread killings and ransacked houses with direct assistance from Alim.
“One day they (Pakistan army and its local collaborators) lined up 11 men on the north side of Joypurhat’s Baroghoti pond and shot them dead. The victims had their faces painted in black,” he said.
“Six of the bodies were buried under a mango tree on the south side of the pond and the rest were buried under a lychee tree on the north side,” Hamid said.
Testifying as the 21st prosecution witness, Hamid continued that nearly 150 human skeletons were fished out of the pond six months after independence. The locals buried those skeletons on the south side of the pond, he said.
Hamid said Alim had occupied the rest house of one Shaonlal Bazla with the members of Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami. Apart from setting up a camp for the Pakistan army, he also arranged training for the Razakars there.
During his testimony Hamid identified the accused present at the hearing. The defence counsel cross-examined the witness after his testimony.
Later the hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.
The three-judge International Crimes Tribunal – 2, set up to expedite the war crimes trials, indicted Abdul Alim for 17 war crimes charges on Jun 11 last year.
The former Muslim League leader was detained on Mar 27, 2011 and is currently on bail.
He is staying at his son Faisal Alim’s house in Dhaka who is the Managing Director of mobile content provider Wintel Limited.
Source: Bd news24
