Engineer Jabbar killed my brother, says PW

A prosecution witness (PW), also family member of a Liberation War victim, accused Thursday war crimes accused engineer A Jabbar of killing eleven people, including his elder brother Sakha Nath Kharati on May 22, 1971 in collaboration with Razakar militia, reports UNB.

"Among other martyred victims were Nishikant Biswas, Surendra Nath Biswas, Jitendra Nath Biswas, Gonesh Chandra Mistri, Upendra Nath Mistri, Basanta Halder, Balaram Mistri, Shasti Halder and Upendra Nath Biswas," recalled eyewitness Santosh Kumar Kharati, now 63, while testifying as PW- 19 against the fugitive war crimes accused before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1).

Hailing from Noligram village of Mathbaria in Pirojpur, the PW said that the perpetrators had also burned down 60 houses after ransacking the village.

Corroborating the evidence of other PWs, Santosh Kharati told the tribunal that during the Liberation War, accused Jabbar, then a leader of Muslim League, had formed Peace Committee (collaborator) in Mathbaria thana and declared himself its chairman. The accused had also established Razakar militia under his command to cooperate with the Pakistan occupation forces, he added.