Kalipada Mandal, 70, from village Dakra under Rampal police station in Bagerhat, on Tuesday testified in the trial of Bagerhat Razakar trio Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, Khan Akram Hossain, and Abdul Latif Talukder.
In his harrowing account of 1971, Kalipada narrated how Siraj Master, a local Razakar commander, shot and later chopped three Hindus to death.
“On May 21, 1971, around 6,000 Hindus from different areas of Bagerhat, gathered at Dakra Kali Temple, on their way to India. At about 1.30 pm, Razakars led by Rozob Ali and Siraj Master attacked them, firing indiscriminately at the people who took refuge at the temple. They also started chopping them with knives and bayoneting them. At one point, I hide behind a bush and saw Siraj shot Kumod Thakur, Rashik Thakur and Sushil and later chopped them to death,” he said as the 21st prosecution witness (PW).
Kalipada however, corroborated the deposition of Rabindranath Adhikari, PW-20, who submitted his deposition in the morning. Advocate Abul Hasan, state-appointed counsel for Siraj cross-examined PW-20.
Barrister M Sarwar Hossain, counsel for other two accused Latif and Akram, was absent at the court on Tuesday and also declined to cross-examine PW-20.
After the deposition of PW-21, advocate Hasan asked him a question to conclude the testimony officially and the tribunal then adjourned the hearing till tomorrow. The defence is scheduled to conclude their cross- examination on that day.
The ICT-1 issued warrant to arrest them on June 10, 2014, and Latif was nabbed by police on that very day. Akram was arrested on June 20 and Siraj on July 21. The ICT-1 on November 5, 2014, indicted the trio and framed seven charges of crimes against humanity.
Meanwhile at the ICT-2, the defence in the trial of Forkan Mallik, concluded cross-examining PW-6. The ICT-2 adjourned the hearing of the case till February 16.
