Justice arrives yet they are in fear

Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is incarcerated awaiting execution. Yet, the places he terrorised 44 years ago turned into ghost towns yesterday with villagers fearing retribution from his men. 

Salauddin was the symbol of terror for the inhabitants of Jagatmallopara and Unasattarpara villages of Raozan in Chittagong during the Liberation War.

They, especially the Hindus, were tortured and persecuted by this war criminal in 1971.

Forty years later, amid trepidation, they testified against him and got justice when the International War Crimes Tribunal-1 awarded him the death penalty for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity on October 1, 2013.

But the fear of reprisal from the followers of the influential BNP leader was extensive among the villagers. They had locked themselves inside their homes and refused to talk to journalists on that day.

There were incidents of violence in 2013.

Two years later as the Supreme Court verdict upheld Salauddin's death penalty, the apprehension of torture still haunted them.

There was no violence this time but an eerie silence of nervousness hung over the two villages yesterday morning.

Many houses of Jagatmallopara, where around 30 families live, were padlocked and some were locked from the inside.

Initially, no one responded when The Daily Star correspondent knocked at their doors.

Mery Chowdhury, wife of prosecution witness Ashish Chowdhury, eventually came out with a worried look. 

Ashish's father Premangshu Bimal Chowdhury and elder brother Antu Chowdhury were brutally killed along with 30 people of Jagatmallopara by the Pakistan army and their local collaborators led by Salauddin.

“I am happy with the verdict but I am anxious over the security of my husband and our family members,” she said, adding, “They killed not only my father-in-law and brother-in-law, but also many of our nearest relatives on April 13, 1971.”

“We always wanted justice and we have got it,” she said.

In Unasattarpara, where 70 people were killed by the Pakistan army and Salauddin led collaborators, no one agreed to talk to journalists. They were fear-stricken.

Only Sanjit Mohajan agreed to talk to The Daily Star correspondent.

Sanjit lost his father Jogesh Chandra Mohajan during the mass killing on April 13, 1971. His elder brother Sujit Mohajan, who passed away on Saturday, was a prosecution witness in Salauddin's case.

“The verdict of the Supreme Court has met the expectation of the people in the area,” he said, adding, “We have lost our nearest ones whom we would never get back but we have been waiting for justice and finally we have it.”

Police protection was there for prosecution witness Prafulla Ranjan Sinha, son of philanthropist and founder of Kundeshwari Owshadhaloy, Natun Chandra Sinha, who was murdered by Salauddin in 1971.

“I am very happy … the verdict has met my expectations,” said Prafulla.

The people of Raozan expressed their satisfaction over the verdict by bringing out a victory processions and treating each other with sweetmeats.

Sarwar Hossain, a small trader, said, “We are very happy with the verdict … we have been waiting for this day for a long time.”

Police were seen deployed and patrolling Chittagong Sadar upazila. Contacted, Prodip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Raozan Police Station, said a total 16 police teams were deployed in the upazila. Nine check points were also setup.

Alongside police, one platoon of Border Guards and two platoons of the Rapid Action Battalion were deployed to thwart any untoward situations, said the OC.