A witness yesterday narrated before International Crimes Tribunal-1 his narrow escape when a bullet shot by a Razakar skimmed across his head at Noli village in Pirojpur on May 22, 1971 during the Liberation War.

Keshob Chandra Biswas, the 21st prosecution witness, said villagers had initially tried to resist an attack by war crimes accused and fugitive former Jatiya Party lawmaker Abdul Jabbar along with Razakars, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupation army, at about 9:00am.

"At one stage on Jabbar's instruction, Razakars began spraying bullets and the villagers started running away," he said.

Jabbar shot dead one Sokha Nath Khorati. "On accused Jabbar's order, a Razakar, Nur Hossain, shot dead my eldest uncle Nishi Kanto Biswas," Keshob said.

The indiscriminate firing left dead 11 villagers, including Nishi Kanto Biswas, Jitendra Nath Biswas, Surendra Nath Biswas, Upendra Nath Biswas, Ganesh Chandra Mistri, Sokha Nath Khorati and Nepal Chandra Mistri, the witness said.

"I became injured and took shelter on the

bank of a canal," the witness said, showing the scar to the three-member tribunal chaired by Justice M Enayetur Rahim.

Razakars, later, on Jabbar's instruction, looted 60 houses including his and set those on fire. The villagers returned after the Razakars left, the witness added. State appointed defence counsel Mohammad Abul Hasan cross-examined the witness. Proceedings were adjourned until today.