SHERPUR: All Sherpur incidents of ‘crime against humanity’ during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war took place following direction from Kamaruzzaman, said Mohan Munshi, a self-declared `rajakar’, as a belated state-level investigation was now on steam.
Kamaruzzaman, Assistant Secretary-General of Jamaat-e-Islami, is now detained in jail, along with four other top leaders of the Islamic party, and hence the allegations could not be cross-checked with him.
Mohan, who was the closest aide to Kamaruzzaman, was describing their activities in 1971 while guiding this reporter to the torture cell in Raghunathbazar area of the frontier-district town Wednesday.
Says Mohan, “Kamaruzzaman himself was a killer, and many other killings took place at his dictate.”
On Tuesday, Mohan in his depositions before the visiting team of the International Crimes Tribunal agreed to become approver in the war crimes trial now underway in Dhaka.
Local people said that, nowadays, Mohan joins all programmes related to the liberation war they had once fought against--wrongly though, or so he says.
The self-declared member of rajakar, an auxiliary force raised in aid to the Pakistani occupation forces during the war, made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with banglanews24.com.bd Wednesday at Sree Sree Kalimatar Mandir near Raghunathbazar.
Mohan Munshi narrates: “I was 20/21 in 1971. After the speech of Sheikh Saheb at Racecourse Maidan I heard miking in front of Kakoli Cinema hall announcing the training of volunteers. It was announced that the trainees would be included in Ansar Force. I joined in the training.
After some days the Pakistani Army troops put up their camp at Sherpur Boys’ College. Local people then started fleeing the area.
I was also trying to flee. When I was passing the road in front of the house of Kamaruzzaman, Raza, a student of the Boys’ College, insisted that I join Al-Badr saying that `otherwise the Pakistani soldiers will kill us’.”
He adds: Major Riaz was the head of army camp in the area.
“We got training as we joined Badr Force. Kamaruzzaman was the chief of the force. Kamran, Kamal, Mahmud and Nasir were his close aides,” Munshi said.
After training, they were taken to the camp of Badr Force which was, in other words, the ‘torture cell’ of Kamaruzzaman.
“The camp was highly secured and protected. We used code numbers and signs for entry into and exit from the camp. For us the words were `Koutar’ and `Bulbul’.
Initially we were 70 in number. Later it exceeded a hundred,” Mohan says in the confessional narrative.
He was in charge of gate keeping.
He said the members of the force caught people who were Awami League activists, Hindus and who gave Joy Bangla slogans from the area and brought them inside the torture cell.
This camp covered Nakhna, Beirnarchar, Peerpur and Jhagrar Char areas.
Mohan Munshi said, “Kamaruzzaman’s word was the law in the land of Sherpur. Police force was obeyed him. Police stations followed his order. Youths were tortured under the staircase of the camp. They were dipped into the pond. Once the floated, they were shot dead. And the perpetrators of torture used to laugh at them.”
Females were also subjected to torture in the camp when they came to seek release their sons, brothers or husbands, said Mohan.
“All the men brought in the torture cell were killed,” he said, adding, “At least three hundred people were killed here.”
Munshi went on to say that “Kamaruzzaman killed many people from Hindu community. His office was set up on the first floor of the centre.”
Mohan Munshi, who married five times, said two of his wives are alive now. He has two sons and three daughters.
About the sons and daughters he said, “They are ashamed of my activities in 1971. I am also ashamed of it.”
Asked about the trial of war criminals a penitent Mohan said, “I am also a war criminal because I helped Kamaruzzaman in killing many people. I am ready to take any punishment for that. But I am worried about the security of my family members”.
He added: “Now everybody wants trial of war criminals; I also want that”.
