Witness tells war crimes tribunal
Staff Correspondent
A prosecution witness yesterday told the International Crimes
Tribunal-1 how fugitive BNP leader and war crimes accused MA Zahid
Hossain Khokon raped a Hindu housewife at Chandhaat village in Faridpur
on May 27, 1971.
Khokon forced the woman into one Surendranath Dutta’s house, said sexagenarian Rabindranath Dutta who witnessed the incident from a nearby bamboo bush.
When Khokon and his associates left the village, Rabindranath went to Surendaranath’s house where the victim was crying for help.
“I handed her a piece of cloth through the window,” recalled the 10th prosecution witness. “I saw bite marks on her face and blood rolling down her leg.”
Rabindranath said he heard from neighbours that another girl who took shelter at the village was also raped on that day by Khokon and his associates.
The witness said Khokon and his men also looted and burnt several houses, including his, in that village the same day.
The 11th prosecution witness, Jogonnath Dutta, corroborated all the incidents, saying Khokon and his associates looted 42 bhoris (about 490 grammes) of gold and 328 bhoris of silver, a radio and two watches from his aunt Suchitra Dutta’s house.
Both the witnesses were later cross-examined by defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan.
When the counsel suggested that the witnesses testified against Khokon as he was involved in BNP’s politics, the two replied in the negative.
Earlier, Shukur submitted a list of 30 defence witnesses for Khokon and some documents relating to his income tax, mayorship and the photocopy of his national identity card.
MOBARAK’s CASE
Yesterday, the war crimes proceedings against former Awami League leader Mobarak Hossain were adjourned until tomorrow after the defence sought two days’ time as the senior defence counsel could not attend the tribunal due to the blockade.
Khokon forced the woman into one Surendranath Dutta’s house, said sexagenarian Rabindranath Dutta who witnessed the incident from a nearby bamboo bush.
When Khokon and his associates left the village, Rabindranath went to Surendaranath’s house where the victim was crying for help.
“I handed her a piece of cloth through the window,” recalled the 10th prosecution witness. “I saw bite marks on her face and blood rolling down her leg.”
Rabindranath said he heard from neighbours that another girl who took shelter at the village was also raped on that day by Khokon and his associates.
The witness said Khokon and his men also looted and burnt several houses, including his, in that village the same day.
The 11th prosecution witness, Jogonnath Dutta, corroborated all the incidents, saying Khokon and his associates looted 42 bhoris (about 490 grammes) of gold and 328 bhoris of silver, a radio and two watches from his aunt Suchitra Dutta’s house.
Both the witnesses were later cross-examined by defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan.
When the counsel suggested that the witnesses testified against Khokon as he was involved in BNP’s politics, the two replied in the negative.
Earlier, Shukur submitted a list of 30 defence witnesses for Khokon and some documents relating to his income tax, mayorship and the photocopy of his national identity card.
MOBARAK’s CASE
Yesterday, the war crimes proceedings against former Awami League leader Mobarak Hossain were adjourned until tomorrow after the defence sought two days’ time as the senior defence counsel could not attend the tribunal due to the blockade.
Courtesy: thedailystar dot net
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