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Razakar founder Yusuf indicted

13 war crimes charges brought against him

Staff Correspondent
AKM Yusuf, historically known as the founder of the infamous Razakar force in 1971, was yesterday indicted on 13 charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
The then deputy chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, which vehemently opposed the very birth of Bangladesh, was charged with seven acts of genocide, which left several hundred people dead in Khulna and Bagerhat.
The 87-year-old Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer was also charged with killing eight people,including five unarmed freedom fighters, and looting and arson at a Hindu-dominated village in Morelganj ofBagerhat.
Yusuf, who had been convicted for aiding the Pakistani army during the war and had gotten general amnesty in 1973, yesterday pleaded not guilty before the International Crimes Tribunal-2.
His trial begins on September 5 with the opening statement from the prosecution. He is the first man convicted under the Collaborators Order, 1972, to face trial at the tribunal. He was arrested on May 12 and
FROM PAGE 20 has been in jail since.
The tribunal said his release on general amnesty did not create any obstacle to trying him as he was not tried for the killings, genocide, arsons or lootings.
The tribunal neither granted nor denied Yusuf bail yesterday. As per the tribunal's earlier order, the jail authorities yesterday gave a report on Yusuf stating he was physically and mentally "stable".
Yusuf was a minister of AM Malek's government in 1971. He was allegedly the chairman of Peace Committee, an auxiliary force of Pakistani army, in greater Khulna district. He reportedly formed Peace Committee and Razakar force in subdivision, thana and union levels there.
The three-member Tribunal-2 led by Justice Obaidul Hassan with members Justice Md Mozibur Rahman and Judge Md Shahinur Islam said, "Since we find that there are prima facie allegations against the accused, the charges are thus framed against him...
“The truthfulness of these pertinent factual issues may be well adjudicated at trial only."
The court said the statement of witnesses and prosecution documents prima facie showed that Yusuf was an influential person of his locality and had founded the Razakar force.
Yusuf, exercising his superior status, allegedly indulged in criminal activities of the
Razakar force, and actively provided support for and aided and abetted commissioning of crimes, the court said.
One of the 13 charges says that Yusuf used to regularly make inciting speeches at the meetings of the peace committees in Khulna to encourage committee and Razakar members to annihilate the Hindus and pro-liberation people.
Around 2:00pm on May 13, 1971, a group of 50-60 armed Razakars, being incited and encouraged by the speech, attacked the Hindu-dominated village Ranjitpur with intent to destroy the community, in full or in part, said the charge.
The perpetrators looted properties and destroyed the houses belonging to the Hindus, tortured and killed 50-60 Hindus, whose bodies were buried in a ditch.
The other war crimes charges piled against him include looting and burning down 400 shops and homes atMorelganj Bazar on May 17, 1971; act of genocide at Morelganj Bazar on May 19, 1971; act of genocide at Dakra village in Rampal, Bagerhat, on May 21, 1971; act of genocide at Chulkathi on October 14, 1971; act of genocide at Vashabazar in Kachua in Bagerhat on October 15, 1971; act of genocide on November 5-6, 1971, at Shakharikathi in Kachua; forced conversion and act of genocide at Shakharikathi in mid-July, 1971; killing of Abu Bakkar Siddiqui at Morelganj on
May 13, 1971; killing of three unarmed freedom fighters at Rayendabazar on June 7, 1971; killing of two unarmed freedom fighters on June 9, 1971; Dr Mazid's killing at Morelganj on July 26, 1971; and Salam's killing at Rayendabazar on July 29,1971.
YUSUF'S BACKGROUND
According to the brief profile of the Jamaat leader read out by tribunal Chairman Justice Hassan, Yusuf, son of late Azim Uddin Howlader of Rajoir village in Sharankhola of Bagerhat, joined Jamaat in 1952. He became the chief of Khulna division Jamaat in 1957.
He started his profession as a madrasa teacher in 1952 and became the principal of Khulna Alia Madrasa in 1958.
In 1962, Yusuf was as an elected member of the National Assembly. He was nominated provincial joint secretary of Jamaat in 1969. In 1971, he was the deputy ameer of then East Pakistan Jamaat and he was one of the two provincial ministers from Jamaat.
According to prosecution documents, Yusuf established the Razakar force, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army, on May 5, 1971, at an Ansar camp on Khan Jahan Ali Road in Khulna with 96 Jamaat activists.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on May 12 took the charges against him into cognisance The case was later transferred to the Tribunal-2 following a petition by the prosecution.