Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed was one of the architects of three rigged elections held under the Awami League government, said Aminul Islam, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal. He said this at a press briefing at his office on Monday.
The chief prosecutor said Benazir Ahmed was not only the mastermind of the Shapla Chattar incident at Motijheel; at one time he ran the government. In some respects he was more powerful than Sheikh Hasina, the chief prosecutor said. For that reason, there was scarcely any wrongdoing he did not commit during his career. But during the Awami League’s final period, his misdeeds came to light through their own internal feuding. The nation saw everything about Benazir in the media, he said. That was why the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case against him at the time, he said.
Aminul Islam said about 10 cases against Benazir are under investigation at the tribunal. He is linked to every one of the incidents, the chief prosecutor said. Among them, a case over an enforced disappearance that took place when he was head of RAB is now being tried, he said. He was one of the key figures in the Shapla Chattar incident, he said. He was involved in numerous killings while in office, the chief prosecutor said.
He also said that in Bangladesh’s history, Benazir played a controversial role in every election held under the fascist government. He was one of the architects of holding rigged elections, the chief prosecutor said. He bears countless responsibilities, including the extrajudicial killing of thousands of people to dismantle the country’s democracy, he said. “We will therefore keep the closest watch on his trial,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report