[Bangla Daily Star] The International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday framed 17 specific charges of war crimes against former BNP politician Abdul Alim, which include genocide, murder of Bangalee civilians, and burning people alive during the Liberation War.The eighty-one-year-old politician and former minister of Ziaur Rahman's cabinet was also charged with attempt, abetment and conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity during the war.
The three-member Tribunal-2, led by its Chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and members Justice Obaidul Hassan and Judge Md Shahinur Islam, framed the charges and fixed July 9 for the trial to begin with opening statement from the prosecution.
Of the 17 charges, 15 were framed in connection with Alim's alleged involvement in the killing of at least 585 people in 15 incidents. The two other charges were in connection with looting, arson, deportation and detention of unarmed civilians.
Of the 15, three were for committing genocide, which claimed the lives of 406 people, mostly Hindus.
Born on November 1, 1930, in West Bengal of India, Alim with his family migrated to Joypurhat in 1950-51. In 1958, he joined the Moslem League. He was an influential leader of the Convention Moslem League and Vice-Chairman of Bogra District Council in 1971.
According to the charges, Alim allegedly committed all the crimes in Joypurhat.
After Ziaur Rahman took over the helm of the country, he made Alim a minister in 1978. Alim also joined Zia's then newly formed party the BNP, according to the information at the tribunal and defence documents. He was elected as a politician from Joypurhat in 1979, 1996 and 2001 elections.
"He [Alim] established an army camp, peace committee office [a collaborator force] and training centre for Razakars and accommodation for one Pak Major Afzal occupying the Gadi Ghar [trading office], business and homestead of one Shownlal Bajla, a jute trader of Joypurhat, after he was compelled to go to India leaving behind all his assets," said the tribunal.
Members of the peace committee and the Razakar force actively collaborated with the Pak forces to commit genocide and mass killings in the nine-month-long war during which 30 lakh Bangalees were killed and over two lakh women raped, historic documents say.
In one of the charges of genocide, the Tribunal-2 said: on April 26, 1971, local peace committee chairman Alim accompanied by other members of the committee and the Mighty Pak Army personnel launched a surprise attack on Hindu civilians in the Hindu-dominated villages of Koroi, Kadipur, Chawkpara, Sonarpara, Palpara, Munshipara in Joypurhat.
The attack was planned in consultation with Pakistain army Major Afzal.
"Entering their homes, [they] started damaging property, looting and arson and thereby created havoc and then you [Alim] and your accomplices brought the Hindu civilians out their homes and lined them up and 370 Hindu unarmed civilians of those villages of Koroi Kadipur locality were shot to death," said Tribunal-2.
"One 90-year-old Kanchira Mohan's throat was slit and he was killed, and one Aswini Kumar Debnath was buried alive. Then you [Abdul Alim] and your accomplices left the scene of the crime and afterwards the bodies were dumped in a mass grave," the charges read.
"Therefore, you Abdul Alim are hereby charged for substantially abetting and contributing to the commission of the offence of large-scale killing of the Hindu community as genocide with the intent to destroy the community either in whole or in part," the tribunal said.