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Khokon, Pak army, Razakars killed five

Two prosecution witnesses tell war crimes tribunal about Faridpur incidents

Staff Correspondent
War crimes accused and fugitive BNP leader Zahid Hossain Khokon along with the Pakistani army and local Razakars killed five residents of Purapara village in Faridpur on May 31, 1971 during the Liberation War, two witnesses testified yesterday.
Yakub Mollah and Chunnu Sheikh, prosecution witness no 17 and 18 respectively, gave their deposition at International CrimesTribunal-1.
Yakub said he had known Khokon since 1970's general election when Khokon took part in the election campaign for Jamaat-e-
Islami's candidate.
On May 31, 1971, Khokon with Razakars and the Pakistani army torched houses in their village, he said. Yakub hid in a jute field and from there he saw the incident.
After their departure, the witness returned to his village and heard from a local, Guru Das, that Yakub's grandmother was shot dead by Khokon on the bank of a village canal.
Yakub, quoting the 18th witness Chunnu, said, "Khokon shot dead Chunnu's uncle Ratan Sheikh."
Another villager, Barek Mollah, who was reciting Quran at a local mosque, was
FROM PAGE 3 dragged out and shot dead by Khokon, he added.
"They | Khokon and their associates] burnt Barek's body along with his house," he said.
Yakub also said Khokon also killed Sofez Uddin and Manik Sardar while the duo was fleeing for life.
Chunnu gave the similar deposition.
Later, defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan cross-examined them. T he proceeding of the war crimes case against Khokon was adjourned till today.
ICT-2
International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday completed recording the cross-examination of a prosecution witness in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf.
Yusufs counsel Mizanur Islam took over an hour to complete cross-examining Sheikh Afzal 1 lossain, the 12th prosecution witness, who testified around a month ago.
The tribunal adjourned the case proceeding till today when two other prosecution witnesses are expected to be
cross-examined.
On November 25, Afzal, a wounded freedom fighter from Batiaghata of Khulna, testified that Razakars had killed at least seven people near Chulkathi Bazar in Bagerhat during the Liberation War and Yusuf ordered and oversaw the killings.
On the following day, the court closed the cross-examination of Afzal as Yusufs senior counsel did not show up even after the court's ultimatum.
The court had closed cross-
examination of six other prosecution witnesses in absence of Yusufs lawyers and cancelled the vokalatnama (power of attorney) of Yusufs conducting lawyer Syed Mizanur Rahman for his repeated failure to attend the court.
But, following four defence petitions, the court allowed reopening the cross-examination of the seven witnesses "for the sake of justice", while Yusuf appointed Mizanul Islam as his conducting counsel.