[Bangla Daily Star] Prosecution witness Manik Poshari yesterday narrated before the International Crimes Tribunal how Pak soldiers shot his employee Ibrahim after consulting with Jamaat-e-Islami...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi
...Islamic orator and politician. He was a former Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2008, and is one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami...
in 1971.
"They took Kutti [Ibrahim] to the other end of the Pararhaat Bridge [a bridge in Parerhaat of Pirojpur], consulted with Delwar Sikder [now known as Delwar Hossain Sayeedi] and shot him," Poshari told the tribunal. Sayeedi stood beside as the body of Ibrahim was thrown into the river.
Poshari while hiding on the other side of the bridge witnessed the murder of Ibrahim, who worked in his house.
Poshari, who claimed to be 27 during the 1971 Liberation War, testified yesterday in a case against Delwar Hossain Sayeedi filed in connection with crimes against humanity committed in 1971.
Poshari started giving his testimony yesterday after the three-member tribunal finished recording the deposition and cross-examination of fifth prosecution witness Mahtabuddin Hawlader.
Sayeedi, who is now 71, was present at the dock during the proceedings. The Jamaat leader spent much of the time reading a pocket-size book. He was allowed to lie down on the dock as he suffers from back pain.
After Poshari finished his deposition, Sayeedi's counsels began cross-examining the witness yesterday and it will continue today.
Yesterday, Poshari, who was a fish trader in 1971, began his deposition by introducing himself. "During the 1971 Liberation War, my age was around 27 and I was in my home at Chithalia village of Parerhaat."
Poshari said the Parerhaat peace committee was formed with Delwar Hossain Sayeedi (who he kept referring to as Delwar Sikder), Sekandar Sikder, Danesh Ali Mollah, Moslem Mawlana, Majhar Talukder and other collaborators.
The peace committee members then went on to form the collaborators' force in the area, he said.
On May 8, 1971, Sayeedi, Sekandar Sikder, Danesh Ali Mollah, Mohsin Mawlana, Momin, Hakim Kari, Sobhan Mawlana along with other collaborators and Pak soldiers came to Poshari's house in Chithalia of Parerhaat.
"Sensing them approaching, my brothers and I hid ourselves in the woods on the eastern side of our house," said Poshari. "We watched everything that happened in my house from there."
Seeing the Pak soldiers, Mofizuddin, a cousin of Poshari, and Ibrahim, who used to work in the house, tried to run away.
But they were captured and tied up.
"Then, they looted the rice, paddy, money, gold and other valuables from my house," Poshari told the court.
While Sayeedi, Danesh Ali Mollah, Moslem Mawlana and other collaborators distributed the looted gold and many valuables among themselves, other items including rice, paddy and the furniture were looted by the "public", he said.
After the looting, under the leadership of Sayeedi, the collaborators poured kerosene all over the house. "Delwar Sikder then torched the place..."
According to Poshari, his house had sections--three residential quarters, a granary and a guestroom--and it was valued at Tk 10 lakh in 1971.
He claimed that the burnt corrugated iron sheets, pillars, wood and other remains of the torched house are still there even after 40 years.
After torching Poshari's house, the collaborators and Pak soldiers took Mofizuddin and Ibrahim towards their camp in Parerhaat, Poshari said.
"I followed them from afar to the Parerhaat Bridge," Poshari told the court.
"From my end of the bridge, I saw the Pak soldiers consulting with Delwar Sikder and Danesh Mollah."
Ibrahim, who Poshari kept referring to by his nickname Kutti, was untied and taken to the western end of the bridge.
"They took him to the other end of the bridge. The Pak soldiers consulted with Delwar Sikder and shot Kutti who gave a loud shriek."
Ibrahim's body was then thrown into the river, Poshari said.
Mofizuddin, the other captive, was taken to the camp and brutally tortured there. Between 1:30am and 2:00am the following morning, Mofizuddin beat feet from the camp and returned to Poshari's house.
"His whole body was covered with blood and scars," said Poshari.
Earlier yesterday, fifth prosecution witness Mahtabuddin Hawlader narrated how he saw a collaborator shoot Bisha Bali under Sayeedi's orders in Umedpur village of Parerhaat.
"On June 2, 1971, I was on my way to Parerhaat around 10:30am," said Mahtabuddin.
It was then when he saw Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Sekander Sikder, Mawlana Moslem and other collaborators along with Pak soldiers enter the Hindupara (a neighbourhood predominantly Hindu) of Umedpur village.
"I quickly hid myself in the woods on the southern end of the Hindupara," he said.
He watched the Mighty Pak Army and the collaborators loot around 22 houses including that of Anik Mandal, Nalita Bali, Harendranath Chakrabarti, Muken Chakrabarti, Satish Bala, Chitya Talukder and Robi Talukder among others.
The houses were torched afterwards.
"I saw the collaborators and peace committee members share the looted valuables among themselves," said Mahtabuddin.
Then the collaborators, led by Sayeedi, tied Bisha Bali to a coconut tree and brutally beat him up, he said. "At one point, Delwar Sikder said something in Urdu to a razakar [collaborator], who then shot Bisha Bali," said Mahtabuddin.
On the same day, he heard that the collaborators also looted the house of Parerhaat's freedom fighter Mahbubul Alam. Mahbubul earlier testified against Sayeedi in the tribunal.
During the cross-examination, counsel Mizanul Islam asked Mahtabuddin whether he knew the collaborator who shot Bisha Bali, and whether he knows what happened to Bali's body.
Mahtabuddin said he does not know the answer to either of the questions and he did not try to find out during the last 40 years.
The witness told the counsel that he is currently the Awami League General Secretary of Parerhaat Union.
He later told the counsel that Pirojpur sadar was liberated from the Mighty Pak Army on December 8, 1971, under the leadership of Major Ziauddin and Parerhaat was liberated on the same day under the leadership of freedom fighter Ruhul Amin Nobin, who also testified against Sayeedi in the tribunal.
After liberating Parerhaat, Nobin and other freedom fighters captured Mobin, Atahar Ali Member, Abdul Bari Mintu, Habibur Rahman Mridha, Sobhan and other collaborators from the area, he said.
Later, counsel Manjur Ahmed Ansary concluded the cross-examination by suggesting that the allegations Mahtabuddin brought against Delwar Hossain Sayeedi in his testimony are false.
The counsel went on to say that Mahtabuddin does not have a profession. And as a local Awami League leader, he falsely testified against Sayeedi in a false case under the directive of his MP, and enjoyed government facilities for it.
Mahtabuddin Hawlader responded by saying that it was not true.