Staff Reporter :
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday awarded death penalty to former Chhatra Sangha leader Abdus Sattar alias Tipu Sultan in a case filed on charge of committing crimes against humanity like kidnapping, incarceration, torture and murder in Rajshahi University area during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam delivered the judgement with the presence of the accused. In the 177-page verdict, the tribunal said, “All two allegations brought against the accused by the prosecution team have been unambiguously proven. The accused has been sentenced to death on every charge unanimously.”
Expressing satisfaction at the verdict, Prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman Badal said, “We were able to prove the charges brought against him. In view of crimes, the court has awarded him death sentence. We are happy with this verdict.”
On the other hand, advocate MH Tamim who was an state-appointed lawyer for the accused said, “My client is aggrieved with the verdict. I hope that he will file appeal petition against the verdict. He will get justice, I hope.”
As per the International Crimes Tribunal Act, a convicted accused will get maximum one month time after publishing the verdict for filing appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the judgement.
Abdus Sattar alias Tipu Sultan (66), now in jail, was produced in the tribunal yesterday during the deliberation of the judgement.
Earlier on October 17 this year the tribunal kept the verdict waiting after both the prosecution and defence placed closing arguments.
Sattar was a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of anti-liberation Jamaat-e-Islami, and a member of the Razakar Bahini during the war, according to the investigation agency.
He was arrested in May, 1972 under the Collaborators Order, 1972 but was released in August, 1974. The accused retired in 2011 as an Assistant Professor from Gopalpur Degree College at Natore’s Lalpur.
The investigation team of the ICT started probe into the allegation against the accused on May 2, 2017. After completing the investigation, the prosecution team submitted their report on March 27, 2018.
The tribunal framed charges against him on August 8 last year. According to them, the accused was involved in killing at least 10 and torturing two persons, looting and lanching arson attacks into 12 houses in areas under Boalia Police Station of Rajshahi.
The prosecution produced 14 witnesses including the case’s investigation officer to prove their charges while the defence declined to produce any witness.
