SHERPUR: The war-crime investigation team, on the second consecutive day of revisiting the 1971 carnage spots in Sherpur, walked around different areas of the frontier town talking to local people about the wartime happenings in sombre scenarios.

Beginning at 9:00 in the morning, the investigators visited Sheri Bridge, Raghunathbazar, Bridhanarayanpur and Nayanibazar areas and talked to several eyewitnesses. They also visited Raghunath Banthia Bhaban, which was used as the office of peace committee in 1971.

Mohan Munshi, a self-declared `rajakar’ of the area and the then closest aide to Kamaruzzaman, Assistant Secretary-General of Jamaat-e-Islami, was with the team, apparently aiding the probe team as an approver.

Local people of Sheri Bridge area said numbers of people were lined up and shot dead on the bridge.

Then the team visited Sani Bigraha Temple near Raghunathbazar. On April 26 in 1971 the Pakistani soldiers killed Suryadubi Thakur, the priest of the temple.

They also visited Bridhanarayanpur Nabarun Public School where they interviewed Shamsunnahar Renu and Rasheduzzaman Rintu, two eyewitnesses.

Renu said, “Houses were burnt, and the members of Al-Badr Force picked up males from different houses and shot them dead under a jackfruit tree in front of the school. The bodies were interred under the ground near the tree.”

Later, after two months of independence, the remains of nine were retrieved from the haunted place and buried at Chapatali graveyard.

Renu broke into tears as she was narrating the terrifying memories of those days. Her tears led others in the scene.

The sexagenarian woman further said, “It was Kamaruzzaman who led all these crimes in the area. We want him to get punishment.”

Rasheduzzaman, who was a student of class seven at the time, also took a trip down the memory lane and said he saw the killing of his elder brother and uncle with his own eyes.

The team later visited Raghunath Banthia bhaban where Mohan Mia told the investigators that the building was used as the office of peace committee which was led by Professor Sattar, Quader Mollah, Aminul Ukil and Habibur Rahman. All of them are already dead and gone.

“These people led many killings in the area,” said Mohan.    

The team also visited Bainabazar area where the locals said Kamaruzzaman had led acts of arson torching houses and businesses of Hindu community in the area.

BDST: 1421 HRS, SEP 15, 2010