Three to Die for War Crimes in 1971

Three Naogaon men including former Jamaat-e-Islami district Ameer Rezaul Karim Montu, 68, have been awarded with death penalty for committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.

A three-member International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) headed by its Chairman Justice Md Shahinur Islam handed down the verdict on Tuesday. Other two members of the tribunal are Justice Abu Ahmed Jamadar and Justice AKM Hafijul Alam.

Other death row convicts are Nazrul Islam, 64, and Md Shahid Mandal, 62.

Md Rezaul Karim Montu and Md Shahid Mandal are in the jail while Nazrul Islam is absconding.

Besides killing some people in Naogaon during the Liberation War in 1971, the convicts were accused of kidnapping, torturing, looting and arson. 

The investigation team of the prosecution started the investigation against the three accused on October 18, 2016. Later, they filed a chargesheet with the tribunal on November 30, 2017.

Both sides concluded their arguments on May 26 of this year.

Rezaul Karim Montu, who was living in Joypurhat's Sadar Upazila, was arrested on Feb 11, 2017. The building he lived in is known as the ‘Razakar building,’ or a den of collaborators.

Nazrul Islam lived in Tejgaon, Dhaka and Shaheed Mondol was a native of Chapadal village in Naogaon.