Plainclothes police arrested Jamaat leader Mir Kashem Ali hours after the ICT-1 issued a warrant for his arrest on Sunday on charges of his alleged crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
A team of the Detective Branch of police arrested the Jamaat leader from the office of the vernacular daily Nayadiganta at about 4 pm, deputy commissioner of DB Mahbub said.
Earlier, at about 2:40 pm, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued the arrest warrant for war crimes–suspect Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Kashem Ali and asked the DMP commissioner to report on compliance within 24 hours.
Responding to a prosecution petition, the three-member tribunal, headed by Justice M Nizamul Huq, issued the arrest warrant for ‘effective and proper’ investigation into the war crimes case.
The prosecution filed the petition under section 9 (1) of the International Crimes Tribunal rules of procedure that says: “The investigation officer, through the prosecutor, may obtain an warrant of arrest from the tribunal for the arrest of a person at any stage of the investigation, if he can satisfy the tribunal that such arrest is necessary for effective and proper investigation.”
Moving the petition, prosecutor Rana Dasgupta told the tribunal that Kashem Ali, the then Chittagong District head of Al Badr, a secret killing squad of Jamaat-e-Islami, had perpetrated crimes against humanity like killings, looting, abduction, persecution, genocide, rape and setting fire on the houses of unarmed civilians during the 1971 Liberation War in collaboration with Pakistan occupation army.
The war-crimes suspect had also set up a makeshift torture camp at hotel Dalim in the port city where the freedom-loving people were handed down punishment.
Considering Jamaat-e-Islami central executive committee member’s present status and the influence he holds in society as of head of Diganta Media Corporation, Kashem Ali might threaten to prospective prosecution witnesses and there is apprehension of obstructing investigation process if he is not put behind bars, the prosecutor said.
Earlier, the tribunal following a petition moved by the counsel for war crimes accused Delwar Hossain Sayedee adjourned for Wednesday the cross-examination of investigation officer ASP M Helal Uddin as the detained accused who suffers from heart ailment for long is undergoing treatment at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital.
