Charges against Mujahid

The International War Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to deliver its verdict on Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid on Wednesday.

Golam Mujtaba Dhrubobdnews24.com
Published : 16 July 2013, 10:43 PM
Updated : 16 June 2015, 11:46 AM

The Jamaat leader is facing trials on seven charges of crimes against humanity, committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Those charges include genocide, murder, torture, conspiracy, planning incitement and complicity in atrocities.

The ICT-2 had completed hearing the arguments of prosecution and defence on June 5 this year.

But the tribunal issued a CAV (curia advisari vult or reserving the judgement until a later time).
It has now decided to award the verdict on Mujahid on Wednesday.
This top ‘Al Badr leader’ also served as the General Secretary of the then Jamaat’s student front Islami Chhatra Sangha in East Pakistan.
Charge No 1
The first charge brought by the Prosecution says Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, the leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, was involved in the abduction of Sirajuddin Hossain, the then Executive Editor of the daily Ittefaq, on gunpoint as Hossain had written a newspaper article against the local agents of Pakistani Army.
On Dec 10, 1971, some seven to eight masked youths, armed with rifles abducted the journalist from his house at 5, Chamelibag, Dhaka. He had never returned since then nor was his body found.
The Jamaat top brass was charged for abetting, facilitating and contributing the actual commissioning of the offence of ‘abduction as crime against humanity’ under section 3 (2)(a)(g), sections 4(a), 4 (2) and 20 (2) of the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973.
Charge No 2
One day in mid-May, 1971, the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators raided and torched some 300 houses belonged to people of Hindu community in Baidyadangi, Majhidangi, Baladangi villages under Faridpur’s Charvodrason Police Station.
Some 50 to 60 people were also gunned down by the attackers. Apart from Hammad Maulana of Faridpur town, some 8-10 non- Bengalis also took part in that operation against the unarmed people.
Mujahid has been charged for his involvement in assisting and instigating the attack on a particular community as it is a punishable crime as per the sections 3(2)(a)(c)(G) and 4(1) of the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973.
Charge No 3
In the first week of June, 1971, Razakars, held Ranjit Nath alias Babu Nath, son of late Ramesh Chandra Nath of Rathkhola under Kotwali Police station, district Faridpur from near the Khabashpur mosque of Faridpur town and took him to Pakistani Major Akram Quresi at Faridpur Old Circuit House.
Nath was then taken to the house of one Abdur Rashid situated on the eastern side of the ‘Bihari camp’ where he was confined and tortured with an intention to kill him. But, he, somehow, managed to escape.
Prosecution says Mujahid was directly involved in the incident.
Charge No 4
Razakars abducted one Mohammad Yusuf alias Pakhi of East Goalchamat Khoda Bakshpur, PS: Kotwali, district: Faridpur from Alfadanga locality on July 26, 1971, suspecting him to be a freedom fighter. The Pakistan Army personnel intensified their torture on Pakhi after Mujahid confirmed him to be a freedom fighter.
Pakhi was subjected to inhuman torture that resulted severe physical injury including fracture of bones.
Charge No 5
During the liberation war, composer Altaf Mahmud, Jahir Uddin Jalal, ‘Badi’, ‘Rumi’, ‘Jewel’ and ‘Azad’ were confined at an old MP Hostel in Dhaka’s Nakhalpara area.
On Aug 30, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mujahid and Motiur Rahman Nizami, the General Secretary and Chief of the ‘Al Badr’ went there and advised the Pakistani Army to kill them before they would claim presidential clemency.
Everyone, except, Jalal, was killed.
This is an act against humanity as per the sections 4(1) and 4(2) of the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973.
Charge No 6
During the War of Independence in 1971, the Pakistani Army set up a camp at Mohammadpur Physical Training Institute in Dhaka. The members of Razakar and ‘Al-Badr’ used to receive their ‘training’ at that camp, known as ‘torture camp’.
Mujahid being the Secretary of the then East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha used to visit the camp regularly with his co-leaders with intent to annihilate the ‘Bengalee population’, used to plan and conspired with the senior Pakistani army officers of the camp. Following such conspiracy and planning, ‘killings of intellectuals’ were started from 10 Dec in 1991.
Charge No 7
Following directives from Mujahid, the Razakars attacked the Hindu community of Bakchar village under Kotwali Police Station of Faridpur District on May 13, 1971.
They also detained Birendra Saha, Nripen Saha, Shanu Saha, Jagabandhu Mitra, Jaladhar Mitra, Satya Ranjan Das, Upen Saha and others.
The wife of Upen Saha requested to release her husband even in exchange of money and jewelleries but in vain. Everyone was killed.
The Razakars also raped one Jharna Rani during the raids.
The charges were framed against Mujahid under the sections 3(2)(a)(g) and 4(1) and 4(2).