26 Aug 2012: Mollah 9th prosecution witness

After the end of the eighth witness cross examination, the ninth prosecution witness, Amir Hossain Molla then came forward to give evidence in the trial of Mollah.

Defence: It was supposed to be said in open court to inform defence lawyer that a witness is going to be presented in court for examination in chief.

Justice Shahinur Islam: It is presumed in criminal case that what is known to prosecution lawyer is known to defence lawyer.

Examination was undertaken by prosecution lawyer Mohammad Ali.

Proseuction: How far is Alokdi from your village?

Witness: May be 100\150 yards far in north side.

Prosecution: How old were you at the time of liberation of war?

Witness: 24 years.

Prosecution: What do you know about the history of March month in 1971?

Witness: In date of 7 of this month Bangobondu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman gave his historical speech and I went to hear it.

Prosecution: What was in this speech?

Witness: Bangobondu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman said in his speech to be prepared for liberation war. After hearing this speech I made a group of voluntary members in Mirpur area and I took training in Iqbal Hall of Dhaka University under the control of “Association of Movement for Freedom of Bangla (Sadin Bangla Sogram Parshad)”.

Prosecution: From where did you take training?

Witness: Then Kader Mollah was giving training to 80/90 Bihari in Mirpur for the protection of Pakistan. I went to Savar with my parents because then the condition of the country was very bad. Firstly we took shelter in a school of Savar, after in a house of my relatives. In the date of 22/23 April, 1971 we came near the village of Alokdi with my father for cutting paddy in our field and we were in the house of my uncle Rustom Ali at night. In the morning of 24 April during the time of Ajan of Fajar prayer, the people of Panjab came by Helicopter in the west side of Alokdi village and then from east side by the leadership of Kader Mollah 100/150 Bengali and Panjabi came and started firing without considering anything. At that time some people died there and entered into the village and arrested 60/65 people and took them in the north side of village and took also 300/350 people who came in this village for cutting paddy and made them stand and fired them. There were rifles in the hand of many people with Kader Mollah. They also fired with Pakistani. At that place at least 400 people died.