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2nd War Tribunal

Charges read out to Alim

Staff Correspondent
BNP lawmaker Abdul Alim occupying properties of a businessman set up camps to perpetrate atrocities on people in Joypurhat during the Liberation War, the prosecution told the International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday.
During the hearing of charge framing at the tribunal yesterday, the prosecution was reading out the charges of crimes against humanity committed by the former minister.
The prosecution said Alim and his cohorts had forced the businessman and his family members to leave the country, and used his home and business establishments to conduct atrocities.Alim along with the Pakistani army and other auxiliary forces also looted the house of a local Awami League leader in Joypurhat and then torched it. He also forced his family to leave the country, Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta told the tribunal.
The tribunal, the second of two set up to deal with war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War, adjourned the hearing until today.
The three-member tribunal headed by Chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir extended Alim's bail, which expired yesterday, until April 29. The former minister was facing 74 counts of crimes against humanity.
The International Crimes TYibunal-1 had taken the charges brought against Alim into cognisance on March 27 after the prosecution submitted formal charges against him on March 15.
On April 16, Tribunal-1 transferred three cases including Alim's toli’ibunal-2 for quick disposal and the second tribunal started Alim's case proceedingyesterday.
Rana Dasgupta told the tribunal that Alim, an influential leader of East Pakistan Conventional Muslim League and vice-chairman of Bogra district council, formed Peace Committee and Razakar Bahini (two collaborator forces) in Joypurhat in 1971 and committed crimes like killing, genocide, rape, looting, arson and other crimes against humanity in association with the auxiliary forces and the Pakistan army.
Among 28 incidents of atrocities committed by Alim, the prosecutor read out two of those before the tribunal.
Rana said Alim along with his cohorts and the Pakistani army attacked the house of Meher Uddin Chowdhury, a local Awami League leader of Panchbibi upazila in Joypurhat, on April 20, 1971, and looted the houses before settingit alight.
Meher Uddin was forced to leave the country with his family following threats from the attackers, said the prosecutor.
Shawn Lal Bazla, a Marwari businessman of Sadar Road of Joypurhat, and his family were compelled to leave the country following threats from Alim and his associates before the Pakistan army reached the district headquarters on April 21, 1971.
The accused and other collaborators occupied the home and business establishment of the businessman on April 21. “He [Alim] established the office of the Peace Committee and camp of Razakar there, accommodated the Pakistan army and used the place for imparting training to the auxiliary forces," said the prosecutor.
The atrocities committed by the Pakistan army and the auxiliary forces in Joypurhat and surrounding areas were planned and controlled from the camp under the leadership of the Alim, who was also the chairman of Joypurhat Peace Committee, said Rana Dasgupta.
BAIL AND ADJOURNMENT PETITIONS
When the tribunal started yesterday's proceeding at 11:15am amid a countrywide hartal, defence counsel Muhammad Tarikul Islam appealed for a six-week adjournment as they could not prepare their defence due to the illness of the their client.
Opposing the petition, Rana Dasgupta said the defence got over three weeks to prepare for the case. As per the tribunal act, the defence would get at least three weeks after the tribunal takes the charges into cognisance.
Defence sought adjournment to create unreasonable delays to the trial and as per the tribunal act, the tribunal has the power to prevent such delays, said Rana, adding that the prosecution was ready to start charge faming hearing.
The tribunal fixed April 29 for placing defence depositionin this regard and ordered the prosecution to start their deposition.
In another petition, the defence counsel sought extension of the bail for the accused as he did not violate any conditions of the bail granted by Tribunal-1.
Rana once again opposed the petition claiming that the case has progressed a lot and appealed to the TYibunal-2 to not extend the bail.
Justice ATM Fazle Kabir said Alim was given bail by Tribunal-1 and the Tribunal-2 has to receive fresh bail petition. Extending the bail until next Sunday, Ttibunal-2 asked the defence to submit fresh bail petition.
The tribunal would hold hearings on the bail petition that day.