House of witness in crimes against humanity case attacked in Sunamganj, counter-allegations raised
The house of a witness in a 1971 crimes against humanity case was attacked and vandalized in Shalla Upazila of Sunamganj, leaving five members of the family injured.
The incident took place at the house of Dulal Mia in Daulatpur village of the upazila on Thursday night. The family is preparing to lodge a formal case with the police station today, Sunday.
Dulal Mia is a prosecution witness in a case filed with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in 2016 over allegations of crimes against humanity.
His father, Mamud Mia, was martyred during the 1971 Liberation War, while his sister, Jamila Khatun, has been officially recognized as a Birangana.
Dulal Mia alleged that after his shop was burgled, police arrived in the village to investigate upon receiving a complaint, which angered several local residents.
Furthermore, the accused in the war crimes case and their relatives had long harbored a grudge against him for testifying. He claimed that the attack, vandalism and looting were carried out out of that resentment.
However, the accused individuals and some local residents claimed that Dulal Mia's son and other family members were involved in the illicit drug trade and had previously served prison time in narcotics cases. They claimed that locals, frustrated by the ongoing drug trade, carried out the attack.
According to the victim's family, Dulal Mia's daughter, Ujala Akter and her husband, Helal Mia, live with him. The father-in-law and son-in-law jointly run a grocery shop in front of their house.
On 23 October, the shop was burgled. When the matter was reported to the police, law enforcement officers visited the spot to investigate on 29 October. After they left, several villagers expressed anger over why the police had been called to the village.
Dulal Mia alleged that around 9:00 pm on Thursday, a group of people, including Daulatpur village residents Jalal Mia, Abdul Hekim and their family members, attacked their house armed with sticks. The attackers assaulted family members, smashed household furniture, a television and a refrigerator, and looted six cows, gold ornaments and cash.
According to police sources, in 2016, freedom fighter Rajani Das of Perua village filed a case with the International Crimes Tribunal over charges of genocide, arson, rape and other crimes against humanity committed in Uzangaon, Shyamarchar, and Perua villages of Shalla upazila during the 1971 Liberation War.
11 people, including local figures Zubayer Munir, Zakir Hossain, Siddiqur Rahman, and Daulatpur village residents Abdul Hekim, Abdul Gani Mia and Tota Mia, were arrested in the case. Dulal Mia is a witness in this case.
Dulal Mia's daughter, Ujala Akter, told Prothom Alo over the phone on Sunday morning that the family members of Jalal Mia and Abdul Hekim carried out the attack and were still issuing threats. She said they were currently in Shalla Upazila Sadar and heading to the police station to lodge a case.
Accused Jalal Mia is the son of Abdul Gani Mia, an accused in the crimes against humanity case.
Denying the allegations, Jalal told Prothom Alo, "We are not involved in this. This family is known as drug dealers in the area. The local Anti-Drug Unity Council had repeatedly requested them to abandon this business, but they did not stop. That is why local people may have attacked them."
Police confirmed that allegations of narcotics trading exist against the family. Over the past four years, at least 25 cases involving drugs and theft have been lodged against them. Dulal Mia's son, daughter and son-in-law had landed in jail in narcotics cases.
Dulal Mia, however, asserted that his son, daughter and son-in-law were implicated in false cases and jailed solely because of his role as a witness in the war crimes trial. He claimed that the drug allegations are merely a smear campaign being used as a pretext for the attack.
Shalla Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Suhel told Prothom Alo at 12:00 pm on Sunday that the family is currently at the police station. He noted that police had advised them to file a case immediately after the incident.
"It is true that there are drug trade allegations against them, but that is for the police to handle. No one has the right to attack someone's house over that. Necessary legal action will certainly be taken once we receive a formal complaint," the OC said.