Yusuf’s body sent for autopsy

The International Crimes Tribunal has ruled against handing over the body of war crimes accused Jamaat-e-Islami leader AKM Yusuf without an autopsy.

Jamaat Nayeb-e-Amir Yusuf, charged with crimes against humanity committed during 1971 Liberation War, died at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital around 11am on Sunday of a cardiac arrest soon after he was brought there from Gazipur's Kashimpur Jail.

Tribunal 2 Judge Mujibur Rahman Mia and Judge Shahinur Islam gave the order in the afternoon after the hearing of a petition by Yusuf’s lawyers, who argued that Yusuf’s family had no objections to accepting his remains without an autopsy since it was a natural death.

The tribunal, however, said that since the deceased was in the custody of jail authorities at the time of death, it would like to know the cause of his death.

It ordered that all formalities be completed according to the jail code before Yusuf’s body was handed over to his family.

Yusuf’s grandson AKM Tahsin around 5pm told bdnews24.com that Yusuf’s remains were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital from BSMMU after the court order.

Yusuf's son-in-law Abdul Wahab earlier claimed that his father-in-law did not get proper treatment at the hospital after he was taken there in the morning.

Rejecting the allegation, BSMMU director Abdul Majid Bhuiyan said, “We did everything possible for a heart patient.”

Investigation had found evidence that Yusuf had formed the vigilante militia group Razakar – a name that has become synonymous with ‘collaborator’ in Bengali - in Khulna in 1971 and under his command almost 700 people were killed.

Razakars aided the Pakistanis during the Liberation War and were responsible for large-scale atrocities.

Yusuf was a member of the puppet provincial government formed by Pakistan during the Liberation War.

He was also Jamaat’s acting chief for some time.

AKM Yusuf was indicted by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on 13 war crimes charges, including killing, genocide and arson on Aug 1 last year.

The tribunal had also set Feb 12 for the prosecution to begin argument.

Yusuf was arrested on May 12 from his Dhanmondi residence hours after the war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh issued the arrest warrant. The same day, the tribunal had taken into cognisance the charges against Yusuf submitted on May 5.

According to the prosecution, Yusuf was the one who coined the term ‘Razakar’ for the auxiliary forces raised to collaborate with Pakistan during that time.

It was Yusuf, then Jamaat’s head of Khulna region and a former MP, who trained 96 Jamaat activists as Razakars in Khulna. He also led all the anti-liberation war forces including the infamous Peace Committee, Razakars, Al Badr and Al Shams in the region.

The charges also said Yusuf was both directly and indirectly involved in many crimes against humanity including genocide, murder, rape, loot and arson that took place in different areas of Khulna during the war.

After the war, the Jamaat leader was sentenced to life imprisonment under the 1972 Collaborator’s Order, but he was released from jail on Dec 5, 1973 after the Mujib government announced general pardon.