War crimes witness found dead near Khilgaon level-crossing

Dhaka: The throat-slit body of Suman Zahid, a witness of a war crimes case and son of martyred journalist Selina Parvin, was found near Khilgaon Bagicha Mashjd level-crossing in the city on Thursday morning.
Though law enforcers are saying Zahid was crushed under a train, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee raised doubt about his death.
A banker by profession, Zahid, 52, gave deposition against two Al-Badr leaders Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan who were sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal-2, in 2013 for crimes against humanity they committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
Officer-in-charge of Kamalapur Railway Police Station Yasin Faruk said Rangpur Express train hit Zahid, 52, when he was passing the level-crossing around 10 am, leaving him dead on the spot.
Police sent the throat-slit body to Dhaka Medical Collage and Hospital morgue for autopsy.
His brother-in-law Kazi Sarwar said Zahid received death threats several times for giving deposition against the two war criminals.
He said Zahid quit Farmers Bank four months bank.
Sarwar also said Zahid worked as a journalist before taking up his profession as a banker.
In a statement, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee demanded a prompt investigation into the incident to ascertain whether it was a planned killing or an accident.
The committee urged the Prime Minister to take the responsibility of Zahid’s wife and children following his premature death.