Tribunal sentences Khokon Razakar to death

The International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced Zahid Hossain, better known as Khokon Razakar, to death for war crimes at Faridpur’s Nagarkanda during 1971.

ICT-1 headed by Justice M Enayetur Rahim found him guilty of ten among the 11 charges against him on Thursday morning.

He has been awarded death for six charges and a total of 40 years of imprisonment in the remaining four.

The judges began delivering the 109-page verdict against the absconder at 11am Thursday.

The court said he should be hanged for Charge no 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 for genocide, murder, abduction, confinement, torture, arson and loot.

The six charges described violent acts unleashed from the morning of May 30 to the morning of June 1, 1971.

Besides that he was given a total 40 years in prison for Charge no 2, 3, 4 and 11 for rape, forced conversions and deportations.

The verdict on Khokon is the war crimes tribunal’s third on absconding individuals. The convict can file an appeal before the end of a month, but is only entitled to do it if he surrenders.

Earlier in 2013, the tribunal in its first verdict sentenced former Jamaat-e-Islami member Abul Kalam Azad aka Bacchu Razakar to death in absentia. In its ninth, it handed death to former Al-Badr leaders Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, both of whom are living abroad.

Hossain who joined the BNP after Ziaur Rahman came to power, had campaigned for the Jamaat-e-Islami in the election in 1970. The 66-year old was elected the municipality mayor of Nagarkanda in 2011.

The leader of Rajakar Bahini under Nagarkanda Police Station, Khokon took over after his brother ‘Razakar Zafor’ shot dead by freedom fighters after they fought the Pakistani Army at Chandhat on May 29.

Zafor headed one of Nagarkanda’s ‘Mujahid Bahini’ to aid the Pakistani Army.

Khokon was a member of Ansar who used his training to organise the Razakar Bahini in Nagarkanda, according to writers and freedom fighters who have documented the Liberation war fought in Faridpur.

Meanwhile, law enforcers are clueless about where is he hiding but Bangladeshis living in Sweden said the man was living with his elder son and daughter there.

The prosecution’s probe official Satyaranjan Roy investigated Khokon from Apr 16, 2012 to May 28, 2013. He submitted his report on May 29.

The tribunal issued an arrest warrant against the BNP leader on Jul 18, last year after taking the charges into cognisance.

Khokon was summoned by the court through notices published in two newspapers after police failed to find him.

The court later indicted him in absentia on Oct 9 and the state appointed a lawyer, Abdus Shukur Khan, for his defence.

A total of 24 witnesses have testified against Khokon, but no defence witnesses were produced since the accused is in hiding.

The ICT-1 wrapped up his trial on Apr 17.

Charges and sentences

Charge 1 (Not guilty)

Khokon joined looting six houses of freedom fighters, including Abdul Hye Mollah and Nazim Uddin Mollah on Apr 27, 1971 and facilitated the abduction, confinement and torture of 19 pro-liberation people at Bangram in Nagarkanda.

Sentence: Acquitted

Charge 2 (Guilty)

Khokon and his cohorts destroyed the houses of Kanai Mondol and another person at Nagarkanda’s Jonggurdi-Bagutia village between Apr 28 to May 6, 1971. He threatened Hindus and forcibly converted them to Islam after setting their houses on fire. He extorted Tk 5,000 from the family of Kanai Mondal and Tk 10,000 from the family of Jibon Das.

Sentence: Five years in prison

Charge 3 (Guilty)

Khokon and his accomplices, assisted by an unknown Moulovi, forcibly converted Jibon Das and his family in village Jonggurdi-Bagutia under Nagarkanda to Islam in a day between May 16 to May 28, 1971. The family, fearing for its young female members, fled to India as refugees.

Sentence: 10 years in prison

Charge 4 (Guilty)

Khokon, his elder brother Rajakar Zafor and other armed accomplices entered a Hindu home at Chandhat’s Bonikparha on the morning of May 27 and confined around 16 to 17 Hindus and looted their belongings. Homesteads and a temple were set on fire. Khokon raped Rada Rani Datta, wife of Tagor Das Datta, who had taken shelter in the village. Khuku Rani Datta, an unmarried daughter of late Hokiar Dey also hiding in the village, was raped by Khokon’s accomplices.

Sentence: 20 years in prison

Charge 5 (Guilty)

Khokon and other Razakars guided Pakistani Army to Shaheednagar of Kodalia village on May 30, 1971 where they set on fire many houses after loot. They caught around 50- 60 people from a nearby place and shot 16 of them, including women and children, of whom six survived with grave injuries.

Khokon broke teenager Alauddin Sheik’s waist for refusing to go with the Pakistani Army at gunpoint. Pakistani soldiers and Razakar killed two including Afzal Hossain near Kudalia Koumia Madrasa while Khokon shot dead Sukor Sheikh while he was trying to escape from the village.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 6 (Guilty)

Khokon with Pakistani soldiers plundered and set on fire many houses and shops at Ishhardi village on the evening of May 30, 1971. They shot at unarmed villagers , killing Salam Matubbar, Srinroti Khatun, Lal Miah Matubbar, Mazed Matubbar and caused grievous injury to Fulmoti Begum, a child.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 7 (Guilty)

Khokon accompanied Pakistani Army to Digholia-Ghorarnara Beel (marshland) at village Shahidnagar Kodalia at 7:30am on May 31, 1971 to salvage the bodies of Pakistani soldiers killed in a battle with the freedom fighters. They set fire to the houses of Pijiruddin, his brother Afaz and their neighbour Sheikh Sadek, burning them to death.

Then they went to Bonogram village around 10am. They plundered and burnt houses including that of Abdul Hye Molla, Ikram Molla, Nazim Uddin Molla, Md Yunus Molla and Abdur Rahman Molla. Later around 11am, Khokon shot dead Asiruddin Matubbar of Meherdia village and aided Pakistani Army in killing Safizuddin Matubbar of Asiruddin village.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 8 (Guilty)

Khokon and Pakistani Army shot dead Rajendraath Roy at the jute-field in Goaldi village around 1:30pm on May 31, 1971. They also shot and killed Bulu Khatun, a two-year-old child, who was in her mother's arms while she and others were fleeing the area. They also plundered and set fire to many houses of that village.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 9 (Guilty)

Armed Razakars including Atahar and Aynal, led by Khokon, and Pakistani Army entered Purapara village around 3:30pm on May 31, 1971and shot Chhotu Khatun alias Noa Chhotu Begum, Safizuddin Sheikh alias Sheikh Shafi, Manik Sardar, Ratan Sheikh, Joynuddin Matubbar and Abdul Barek Molla to death. They also plundered and set fire to many houses in the village.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 10 (Guilty)

Armed Rajakars led by Khokon and Pakistani Army went to Bagat and Churiarchar villages at 6am on June 1 and plundered and set fire to many houses including that of Mini Begum, a supporter of the Awami League. They shot dead Mini Begum's father Malek Matubbar, brother Mosharraf Matubbar, paternal and maternal grandmothers and another man, Amjad Munshi.

They also shot dead 10-15 unarmed villagers including Raton Matubbar, Ayub Ali and Manju Rani at Bagat village when they were fleeing.

Sentence: Death by hanging

Charge 11 (Guilty)

Armed Razakars led by Khokon went to Jonggurodi-Bagutia village on a day between Jul 1 to Jul 17, 1971, where Khokon shot Kanailal Mondol from his own rifle badly injuring him on the right elbow. The victim later had to flee to India to save himself.

Sentence: Five years in prison

From Razakar to mayor

Jahid Hossain Khokon is second of the two sons and two daughters born to Motaleb Miah and Jainab Begum of Nagarkanda.

Prosecution’s first witness freedom fighter Abul Kashem said Khokon and his brother, who later came to be known as Zafor Razakar, campaigned for Jamaat candidate Mohammad Ali for the national election in 1970.

The brothers welcomed the Pakistani Army when they entered Nagarkanda after the war started.

Their arrival heralded the making of two ‘Mujahid Bahini’ with Jafor as one if its head, and Mawlana Mohammad Ali leading the other.

The two groups unleashed terror on the Hindus of Nagarkand and supporters of Awami League by taking part in genocide, killings, rape, abduction, confinement, torture, deportation and forced conversions to Islam.

Two books by Faridpur historian Rabindranath Tribedi and freedom fighter Md Solaiman Ali said Khokon was a member of the Ansar during the war, who used his training to strengthen the organisation of Razakars.

In this, he received support from Abul Kalam Azad, former ‘Rukon’ of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Azad better known as Bacchu Razakar was the first to be sentenced to death for 1971 war crimes in 2013. Sentenced in absentia, he managed to escape just before there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Bacchu had formed his own group of collaborators in Kharadia - the Kharadia Military – after establishing ties with the Pakistani Army.

On May 29, 1971, freedom fighters fought a big battle against the Pakistani Army at Chandhat.

Jafor Razakar was killed by locals and freedom fighters, after which Khokon took over the helm of the Razakar Bahini.

“Zahid Hossain Khokon was a self-proclaimed Razakar commander … he used to say it in public. He felt a sense of pride for it,” said Md Rafikuzzaman Anu, a BNP leader and chairman of Kodalia-Shaneednagar Union at Nagarkanda Sadar.

Khokon went into hiding after Bangladesh was liberated and returned only after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed with most of his family in 1975.

Khokon Razakar was accused in a case filed under the Collaborators Act in 1972, Journalist and column writer Abu Sayeed Khan wrote in the third part of his series on regional history of the Liberation War.

He became involved with the BNP after Ziaur Rahman assumed state power and later became vice-president of the BNP at Nagarkanda.

Elected Nagarkanda municipality mayor in 2011, he went into hiding right after his oath taking while the prosecution’s investigators began probing his war crimes.

The government removed him from office after his trial started in 2013.

Khokon and his brother looted numerous homes and extorted money from Hindus during the war, said the witnesses who deposed against him.

He owns a three-storey home at Nagarkanda municipality and swaths of land as well, locals say.

His wife Ambia Begum, sons Lenin and Palin live in the country but not in their Nagarkanda home. His eldest son Khairuzzaman Lincon is general secretary of BNP’s youth wing Juba Dal in Sweden.

His daughter also lived in Stockholm said Aminul Ehsan, a Bangladeshi living in Sweden.

“Zahid Hossain Khokon is living in Sweden. He was seen with his son-in-law Badiuzzaman Badi in Stockholm just few days back,” he told bdnews24.com.