Dhaka, Nov 20: Bangladesh witnessed one of the most crucial events on Sunday as 1971 war crimes trial commenced in the capital with Islamist Party leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi becoming the first suspect to go on trial. Sayeedi was alleged to have committed several crimes including rape, murder, and arson.Chief Prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipu and senior prosecutor Syed Rezaur Rahman read out a long statement on Sunday before the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal at the Supreme Court complex.Delwar Hossain Sayeedi is first of the seven suspects who will face trial in connection to the 1971 war crimes.The special court will try those Bangladeshis who are alleged of helping Pakistani forces and prevent the South Asian nation from gaining independence.In 2010, the Awami League government had established a special tribunal for the trial of "war criminals" accused of genocide and those people who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani military forces during the war.Court officials said on Sunday that the tribunal was expected to hear the defence arguments from Dec 7 after recording of the prosecution side is completed.The Bangladesh Liberation War was a bloody armed conflict that witnessed East Pakistan and India fighting against West Pakistan.The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh.The war broke out on Mar 26, 1971, as army units directed by West Pakistan launched a military operation in East Pakistan against Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia, and armed personnel who wanted separation of the East from West Pakistan.Bengali military, paramilitary, and civilians joined to form the Mukti Bahini and used guerrilla warfare tactics to fight against West Pakistan's military forces.India provided economic, military and diplomatic support to the Mukti Bahini rebels, leading Pakistan to launch Operation Chengiz Khan, a pre-emptive attack on the western border of India which started the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.On Dec 16, 1971, the allied forces of the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini defeated the West Pakistani forces deployed in the East.
