Tales of torture
A war crimes victim yesterday gave a horrific account of his torture in the hands of Pakistani army and its Bangalee collaborators at BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury's Good's Hill residence during the Liberation War.
M Salimullah, the victim, said Salahuddin's younger brother Saifuddin Quader Chowdhury and BNP leader Wahidul Alam took him there on April 2, 1971 and tortured him on that night.
Salimullah, 68, was talking to journalists on the Good's Hill premises when a two-member team of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) went to visit the spot yesterday.
He, however, said he did not see Salahuddin during his one-night captivity.
The ICT team comprising Assistant Superintendent of Police Nurul Islam and Inspector Obayed Ullah went to Good's Hill around 5:00pm with Salimullah, who was the owner of The Muslim Press at Avoymitra Ghat in the port city during the war.
The team is investigating SQ Chowdhury's alleged involvement in the crimes against humanity in 1971.
It visited Kundeshwari Owshadhalaya, Jagatmallapara and Unasatturpara in Raozan upazila in the last few days and talked to a number of victims and witnesses of torture.
Quoting victims and witnesses, Nurul Islam said the Pakistani army took shelter on the first floor of a two-storey building at Good's Hill while the motor garage on the ground floor was used as torture cell.
THE TORTURE
On the evening of April 2, 1971, Salimullah heard that some people attacked his staff in his press office at KB Abdus Sattar Road near Good's Hill.
On reaching there, he found some youths beating one of his staff accusing him of burning a house of a non-Bangalee resident.
Al Shams chief Khoka, barrister Mahbubul Kabir's younger brother, one Mahbub and former BNP whip Wahidul Alam were among the youths, Salimullah claimed.
“As I tried to save them [the staff], they threatened me with harsh consequences for giving shelter to some anti-Pakistan people at my house.”
The attackers then picked up him, two of his staff and an elderly person on two separate jeeps and took them to Salahuddin Quader's house.
They took them to a Pakistani police officer and introduced Salimullah as an aide to the Hindus.
Salimullah said he saw Khoka, Mahbub, Wahidul Alam and Salahuddin's younger brother Saifuddin standing there.
“They started beating me with rifles, and kept me confined to the motor garage for the whole night.”
He was freed the following morning with the help of his maternal uncle, a Muslim League leader.
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