'If they hang, I will burst into joy'
Thu, Aug 5th, 2010 2:33 pm BdST
Prodip Chowdhury
bdnews24.com senior correspondent
bdnews24.com senior correspondent
"Standing on the spot where they had killed my relatives, I'll cry out to them and say 'see, the rule of law has been established in Bangladesh. Justice has been served.' I've been waiting for such a day for 39 years."
Amir Hossain Mollah, plaintiff of the case filed for the mass murder at Pallabi's Alokdi village during 1971, was voicing his hopes about the trials of International Crimes Tribunal.
On Monday, the tribunal ordered four top fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leaders arrested in a case that charged them with crimes against humanity during the war in 1971, to be held in custody until further orders.
They are Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.
Talking to bdnews24.com on Wednesday, Amir said: "I could not contain the tears of joy when they were made stand in the dock after 39 years of the crimes."
"You cannot contain the delight of putting such notorious 'Razakars' in jail. I'll be happier when they hang," he added.
He filed the case on January 24, 2008 in connection with Duaripara mass killing against 10 persons, including the four Jamaat leaders.
It is not confirmed whether this is the case on which the four men had arrest warrants issued.
The other accused are Meer Abul Kashem, Sarder Abdus Salam, Khwaza Asimuddin, Akhtar Gunda, 'Newaz' and 'Latif'.
The case statement said that early on Apr 24, 1971, the Pakistani army raided Alokdi village with around 150 "Razakars", including the accused, led by Quader Molla, joining them from the village's east side.
64 villagers were murdered in the raid. Twenty-one of them were Amir's relatives. The raiders also killed 280 labourers who had gone to the village to harvest paddy from the fields.
All the bodies were piled into three mass-graves and the village was set on fire.
Amir, who is seeking justice for these crimes, moved on to detail bdnews24.com about the happenings of the fated day:
"After Bangabandhu's declaration of independence on Mar 7, sporadic fights broke out among the Biharis and Bengali's at various areas of Mirpur. I was a school student and was preparing for my matriculation exams."
"On Apr 23, my father took me with him to Birulia village to harvest paddy. As the boat was over-laden with paddy on our way back, we were delayed."
"Opting not to travel in the dark, my father and I took shelter at my uncle Rustam Ali's residence at Alokdi village."
"We were shaken awake with sounds of gunfire. You could hear the Fazr Azan (call for prayers) from one side and gunshots from the other."
"My father ran with me and we dived into a canal. We stayed hidden under the water hyacinths."
"Amir paused for a while, as if re-living the horrors of the day: "We could hear Quader's name being called over and over again. They were saying, 'catch them! Kill them! Quader bhai come here.'
"They ransacked the village until 1pm and killed 64 villagers including my uncle and 20 other relatives. Then they killed the 280 labourers who went to the village to harvest paddy. They piled all the bodies into three mass graves."
The raiders also set the whole village on fire when they were leaving."
"The Pakistani army flew in to the Alokdi village from the west on helicopters. And the Razakars, led by Quader Molla, entered the village from the east. They split into two parts and conducted the attack from all sides.
"When we entered the village after the raid, we found my uncles body mutilated with knives. Many other relatives were perforated by shots," he added.
Responding to a query asking him why he filed the case so many years after the incident, Amir said, "Conditions were not favourable from Bangabandhu's murder until Jan 11, 2007. Other than that, the separation of the judiciary is another factor. So, I filed the case even though a long time has passed."
When asked whether he is suffering from any insecurity after filing the case, Amir Hossain Mollah replied, "I was shot in my hand and legs during the liberation war. I believe I had died then. These 39 years of life is a bonus, I am no longer afraid to die. Since I did not die in 1971, I will die after seeing the punishment of Razakars."
Amir Hossain Mollah, plaintiff of the case filed for the mass murder at Pallabi's Alokdi village during 1971, was voicing his hopes about the trials of International Crimes Tribunal.
On Monday, the tribunal ordered four top fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leaders arrested in a case that charged them with crimes against humanity during the war in 1971, to be held in custody until further orders.
They are Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.
Talking to bdnews24.com on Wednesday, Amir said: "I could not contain the tears of joy when they were made stand in the dock after 39 years of the crimes."
"You cannot contain the delight of putting such notorious 'Razakars' in jail. I'll be happier when they hang," he added.
He filed the case on January 24, 2008 in connection with Duaripara mass killing against 10 persons, including the four Jamaat leaders.
It is not confirmed whether this is the case on which the four men had arrest warrants issued.
The other accused are Meer Abul Kashem, Sarder Abdus Salam, Khwaza Asimuddin, Akhtar Gunda, 'Newaz' and 'Latif'.
The case statement said that early on Apr 24, 1971, the Pakistani army raided Alokdi village with around 150 "Razakars", including the accused, led by Quader Molla, joining them from the village's east side.
64 villagers were murdered in the raid. Twenty-one of them were Amir's relatives. The raiders also killed 280 labourers who had gone to the village to harvest paddy from the fields.
All the bodies were piled into three mass-graves and the village was set on fire.
Amir, who is seeking justice for these crimes, moved on to detail bdnews24.com about the happenings of the fated day:
"After Bangabandhu's declaration of independence on Mar 7, sporadic fights broke out among the Biharis and Bengali's at various areas of Mirpur. I was a school student and was preparing for my matriculation exams."
"On Apr 23, my father took me with him to Birulia village to harvest paddy. As the boat was over-laden with paddy on our way back, we were delayed."
"Opting not to travel in the dark, my father and I took shelter at my uncle Rustam Ali's residence at Alokdi village."
"We were shaken awake with sounds of gunfire. You could hear the Fazr Azan (call for prayers) from one side and gunshots from the other."
"My father ran with me and we dived into a canal. We stayed hidden under the water hyacinths."
"Amir paused for a while, as if re-living the horrors of the day: "We could hear Quader's name being called over and over again. They were saying, 'catch them! Kill them! Quader bhai come here.'
"They ransacked the village until 1pm and killed 64 villagers including my uncle and 20 other relatives. Then they killed the 280 labourers who went to the village to harvest paddy. They piled all the bodies into three mass graves."
The raiders also set the whole village on fire when they were leaving."
"The Pakistani army flew in to the Alokdi village from the west on helicopters. And the Razakars, led by Quader Molla, entered the village from the east. They split into two parts and conducted the attack from all sides.
"When we entered the village after the raid, we found my uncles body mutilated with knives. Many other relatives were perforated by shots," he added.
Responding to a query asking him why he filed the case so many years after the incident, Amir said, "Conditions were not favourable from Bangabandhu's murder until Jan 11, 2007. Other than that, the separation of the judiciary is another factor. So, I filed the case even though a long time has passed."
When asked whether he is suffering from any insecurity after filing the case, Amir Hossain Mollah replied, "I was shot in my hand and legs during the liberation war. I believe I had died then. These 39 years of life is a bonus, I am no longer afraid to die. Since I did not die in 1971, I will die after seeing the punishment of Razakars."
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