bdnews24.com :
A police camp has been set up to secure Sherpur’s Sohaghpur village, which came to be known as the ‘village of widows’ after a massacre during the 1971 Liberation War.
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death sentence for Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, the Al-Badr man who aided the Pakistani Army in committing genocide and rape at the village, gave some solace to victim families.
But they are now reportedly receiving threats.
Kamaruzzaman’s close associate ‘Kader Daktar’ and Ershad Ali, who testified on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, had been threatening prosecution witnesses, several residents requesting anonymity told bdnews24.com.
Kader Daktar’s men have been threatening the widows and families of the victims saying they will have to ‘pay dearly’ once there is a new government in power, some residents say.
The Awami League headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up the First International Crimes Tribunal in 2009 to try those accused of committing crimes against humanity during 1971.
“The police camp has been set up near Kakarkandi Union Council, next to Sohaghpur, to secure the victim families and those who testified at the International Crimes Tribunal against Kamaruzzaman,” said Sherpur Additional Superintendant of Police Mohibul Islam Khan.
“Media reports on Sohaghpur residents receiving threats after the Jamaat leader’s final verdict prompted the police to set up the camp.”
Fifteen police personnel headed by Nalitabarhi Police SI Arif were working round the clock to allay fears, he said. The camp is under the supervision of Nalitabarhi Police.
Kamaruzzaman, then a leader of Jamaat’s erstwhile student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, aided the Pakistani Army who surrounded the village on Jun 25, 1971.
They killed 120 men and raped the women. The massacre widowed so many that the place came to be known as the village of widows.
A police camp has been set up to secure Sherpur’s Sohaghpur village, which came to be known as the ‘village of widows’ after a massacre during the 1971 Liberation War.
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death sentence for Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, the Al-Badr man who aided the Pakistani Army in committing genocide and rape at the village, gave some solace to victim families.
But they are now reportedly receiving threats.
Kamaruzzaman’s close associate ‘Kader Daktar’ and Ershad Ali, who testified on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader, had been threatening prosecution witnesses, several residents requesting anonymity told bdnews24.com.
Kader Daktar’s men have been threatening the widows and families of the victims saying they will have to ‘pay dearly’ once there is a new government in power, some residents say.
The Awami League headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up the First International Crimes Tribunal in 2009 to try those accused of committing crimes against humanity during 1971.
“The police camp has been set up near Kakarkandi Union Council, next to Sohaghpur, to secure the victim families and those who testified at the International Crimes Tribunal against Kamaruzzaman,” said Sherpur Additional Superintendant of Police Mohibul Islam Khan.
“Media reports on Sohaghpur residents receiving threats after the Jamaat leader’s final verdict prompted the police to set up the camp.”
Fifteen police personnel headed by Nalitabarhi Police SI Arif were working round the clock to allay fears, he said. The camp is under the supervision of Nalitabarhi Police.
Kamaruzzaman, then a leader of Jamaat’s erstwhile student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, aided the Pakistani Army who surrounded the village on Jun 25, 1971.
They killed 120 men and raped the women. The massacre widowed so many that the place came to be known as the village of widows.
