The prosecution in the trial of ATM Azharul Islam on Sunday said the incumbent assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami was involved in genocide during the War of Liberation as he helped Pakistani occupation army in abducting and subsequently killing the 4 teachers of Rangpur Carmichael College.
“The incident was definitely genocide as the victims belonged to a particular group, which is intellectual. Moreover, all of them were Hindus, and this also comes under a particular group. They tried to kill the conscious of the nation by killing the intellectuals,” said prosecutor Tapas Kanti Baul while placing his arguments on charge number 4 of the total 6.
“Azhar himself was then a student of Carmichael College and that too of science department. He personally knew all the teachers and could have played a vital role in saving them. But he did not, rather he identified them, helped the occupation army in abducting and subsequently killing them,” Tapas added.
The prosecution also placed arguments on charge number 5 but the tribunal came pretty hard on them as the investigation officer (IO) was found presenting a very few evidences in support of the charge.
“There are many documents in support of the fact that Rangpur Town Hall was a torture camp run by the Pakistani occupation army and their cohorts then. But you failed to bring any strong evidence. It happens when you investigate callously. Why your IO did not bring any witnesses from Rangpur town to testify in the tribunal? Even he did not seized and produce any book on the history of the War of Liberation in Rangpur town,” said Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member panel of ICT-1.
The young prosecutor however replied strongly saying even if there was not a single witness in support of that charge, the tribunal should convict the accused under it as a war heroin, who herself was a victim in that torture camp, testified for the charge and accused Azhar for supporting the army members raping her in that torture camp.
After the prosecution concluded placing arguments on the charge, the tribunal adjourned the hearing till tomorrow.
The ICT-1 on November 12, 2013, indicted Azhar for committing crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation. A total of 19 witnesses, including the investigation officer, testified against Azhar. Of them the prosecution declared their 7th witness hostile. On the other hand, the defense produced one Anwarul Haque, a distant relative of Azhar, as their sole defense witness and exhibited their defense documents through him.
