2 Sep 2012: Mollah 9th witness cross exam, day 1

The cross examination of the 9th witness, Amir Hossain Molla, started, following on from the previous days's evidence. Below is the evidence provided

I was a voter in the election of 2008 and cast my vote. My name, address and the date of birth mentioned in the voter list concerned is correct. The government acquisitioned a huge amount of properties in our area by dint of L.A. case no. 5 of 1972-73. We lived in the acquisitioned property. I demonstrated for  compensation and other facilities of the people whose properties had been acquisitioned. But we didn’t get any plot from the government. I was a supporter of Awami League in the election of 1973. On that time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the head of the government. I didn’t go to Bangabandhu with the demands as a freedom fighter. [In the cross examination, the witness said, “We had demonstrated in 1977”.]  So it was impossible to go to Bangabandhu during his lifetime. We have presently been living in the acquisitioned properties. The properties acquisitioned by dint of the L.A case mentioned above have been allotted to many as plots. We have yet not been allotted any plot. But we have been living on the land kept for the rehabilitation purpose as plots. We have heard that the land kept for the purpose of the rehabilitation has been allotted to the people who aren’t the affected of L.A case no. 5 mentioned above. We have been living in a semi-pucca house on the acquisitioned land. It isn’t true that we supported the parties that came to power before 1996. We placed our demands to the government for the plot when Awami came to power in 1996. Thereafter we didn’t demand for the plot to the government. We demand to the present government for the plots which is under process. It isn’t true that I have come to give deposition in favor of the prosecution of the case as the process of allotting plot is under process. The people of my area also call me Hossain Mollah. It isn’t true that the people of my area call me “Lath Bhai”. I have a brother named Amjad Hossain. I have a son named Monir Hossain Mollah. It isn’t true that there is a gang in my area named Mollah Bahini and I am the chief of this gang. I can’t say how many times I have gone to jail. It isn’t true that I have gone to jail several times for occupying the plots of others illegally. The daily newspaper which has shown me is “The Daily Inqilab” published on 14/12/2001. A news item was published on the eighth page of this newspaper titled “At last Lat Bhai Amir Hossain Mollah of Pallabi arrested”. There was a photograph of my son with the news item. The other photographs aren’t of my brother Amjad Hossain Mollah or my son Monir Hossain Mollah. I don’t know whether the woman in the photograph is my brother’s girlfriend. We didn’t protest the news item published in this newspaper. It was been mentioned in this news paper that I was familiar with people as Lath Bhai in my area in 2001. I, Amir Hossain Mollah, was the chief of Mollah Bahini infamous for extortion, terrorism, drug smuggling and illegal arms peddling. This report was completely false and baseless. It was mentioned in this report that I was sustained bullet injuries while I was looting the houses of Mirpur after 16th December 1971. This statement is utterly baseless. It isn’t true that my son Monir Hossain Mollah was a leader of Chhatra Dal on 14th December 2001. There are many housing projects in Duaripara of Mirpur. I have learnt from Justice A F M Ali Asgar. It isn’t true that I occupied a plot of the justice with others and a case was filed against me with others. Six persons including me were charged in that case on 15/05/2012 and I was sent to jail. The state protested my bail petition in that case. I don’t know whether a man named Moniruzzaman Mia looked after the plot of the Hon’ble Justice. It isn’t true that I demanded four lac taka a toll to the Hon’ble Justice during filling the earth. The name of the plaintiff was Moniruzzaman in which case I was sent to jail custody. I don’t know him. We are five brothers. My eldest brother passed away and the rest four brothers are alive. I am Amir Hossain Mollah and the name of my younger brother is Amjad Hossain Mollah. The names of other brothers are Jalil Hossain Mollah and Khalil Hossain Mollah. I have four sons namely- Shahadat Hossain Mollah, Monir Hossain Mollah, Sajjad Hossain Mollah & Mohabbat Hossain Mollah. My sons and I do the same business. It isn’t true that the profession of my son and mine is terrorism, extortion, land grabbing etc. I was in jail custody being charged in an arms case. It is a fabricated case. The case has been disposed and I have been acquitted. It isn’t true that I was arrested by police before WAQFA office and sent to the court. I have been acquitted in this case. My brother Amjad Hossain does the politics of BNP. Khalil Hossain Mollah does the politics of Jatiya Party. I didn’t study in 1971. I used to agricultural works. I filed a petition case against others including the accused of this case after the election of 2008. I don’t know the headway of the case after shifting to CID following the investigation in the police station. The Duaripara Village is situated about 400/500 yards east-northern side of Botanical Garden. Duaripara Village is long from the North to the South. There were cultivable lands to the East, West and North of Duaripara Village. Alubdi village is about one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards off from our village. There were cultivable lands in that one hundred or one hundred and fifty yard land.