Female witness confirms Hachen\\\'s atrocities

A female prosecution witness (PW) confirmed Wednesday the incident of looting and torching the house of Hachu Bepari, father of a freedom fighter (FF), by accused Syed Hachen Ali known as Hasan Daroga, along with his Razakar militia during the 1971 Liberation War, reports UNB.
"It was on April 27 in 1971, a group of armed Razakars led by Hachen Ali stormed into the house of Hachu Bepari, an Awami League activist, located near Tarail thana of Kishoreganj and carried out looting followed by arson attack on the house," recalled Rahima Begum alias Abunee, now 58, a next door neighbour of Hachu Bepari, while testifying against the fugitive accused before the International Crimes Tribunal -1 (ICT-1) as PW-6.
She said that during the operation, Hachu Bepari's house was vacant as all its residents had taken shelter in remote areas long before.
"I had seen the whole operation from a hiding place and although knowing the risk, I had also rushed to the cattle shed of the burning house and rescued three cows, tied with ropes, from the fire. I had cut the ropes with a kitchen knife," Rahima said, adding that the fire continued for a few days.
The deposition over, PW Rahima was cross-examined by state defence counsel A Shukur Khan.
During the cross-examinations, the PW told the tribunal that there had been no Razakar, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan occupation army, in her village Purbo Shachail in Tarail, Kishoreganj, in 1971.
Denying a defence suggestion, Rahima said: "It's not true that I gave tutored evidence against the accused."
Earlier, in the day, the state defence counsel also cross-examined PW-5 Nurul Huq alias Lal Miah, a Liberation War hero.
On November 11, the tribunal indicted accused Syed M Hachen alias Hasan Ali in absentia for his involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.