In a gut-wrenching betrayal of Bangladesh’s liberation struggle and the blood of countless martyrs, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court—led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury—has shamelessly acquitted Khan Akram Hossain, a notorious Razakar and Jamaat-e-Islami leader from Bagerhat.
On Thursday, this five-judge bench brazenly overturned the 2015 International Crimes Tribunal-1 verdict that rightly condemned him to imprisonment until death for his monstrous crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
This is no mere legal technicality—it’s a disgusting slap in the face to every freedom fighter, every victim of Razakar brutality, and every Bangladeshi who honours the sacrifices of our independence.
The tribunal had proven Akram’s direct involvement in the savage torture and murder of freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman Shikdar in Teligati, Morrelganj, after his abduction. Yet now, after years of justice delayed, the highest court has cynically set this war criminal free, allowing him to walk away unscathed from the horrors he inflicted.
Liberation War researcher and senior journalist Probir Kumar Sarker recalled the blood-soaked record: In 2015, the ICT sentenced Akram’s accomplice Sheikh Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master to death for leading multiple massacres, lootings, and arson attacks that slaughtered hundreds—mostly Hindus—in villages like Ranajitpur, Dakra, Besergati, Kandapara, Chulkathi, and others.
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Razakars under Siraj Master and accomplices like Akram abducted, tortured, burned homes, and executed innocents in cold blood. Akram was convicted on at least one charge tied to these atrocities, yet the appellate court has wiped it all away with a single stroke.
Journalist Probir said that this acquittal reeks of the same rotten pattern plaguing Bangladesh’s justice system post-2024 political upheaval. Look at the parade of horrors:
– Al-Badr commander ATM Azhar from Rangpur—once condemned—walked free under the Jamaat-influenced interim setup, then shamelessly got elected as Naib-e-Ameer of Jamaat and even won a parliamentary seat in the February 12, 2026 election.
– Death-row fugitive Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar slinked back from Pakistan in December 2024 after 15 years on the run, surrendered in January 2025, and was promptly granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Now Khan Akram Hossain joins this infamous list of war criminals who evade true accountability. The message is crystal clear and utterly repulsive: If you’re a Razakar tied to Jamaat, the system will bend over backwards to shield you—while the cries of genocide victims and their families are ignored.
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The details of the original case are damning:
– May 13, 1971: Attack on Ranajitpur village—40-50 Hindus butchered, homes looted and torched.
– May 21: Massacre at Dakra Kali temple—600-700 Hindus slaughtered as they sought refuge before fleeing to India.
– June 18: 20 abducted and tortured in Besergati-Kandapara; 19 murdered.
– October 14: 50 homes burned in Chulkathi; 7 killed.
– November 5: 42 abducted, tortured, and killed in Shakhari Kathi, Kachua—homes looted and set ablaze.
– October 22: 5 abducted, tortured, and murdered in Kachua villages.
– December 13: Freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman was abducted, tortured, and executed in Teligati—the charge that nailed Akram.
Yet today, this butcher is acquitted. The judiciary that once stood as a beacon against impunity has now become a tool for whitewashing genocide. This is not justice—it’s an insult to the spirit of 1971, a mockery of the martyrs, and a dangerous signal that war criminals can still thrive in Bangladesh.
The nation demands answers. How many more Razakars will the courts free before the blood of our liberation dries up completely? This acquittal is a national disgrace—pure and simple.
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