15-16 Hindus murdered

The third prosecution witness against Salauddin Quader Chowdhury told International Crimes Tribunal-1 that he had heard from a freedom fighter that Salauddin and his men killed 15-16 Hindus at Unosatturpara of Chittagong during the Liberation War.
Witness Sirajul Islam said one Captain Karim on May 21, 1971, told him how the murders were committed. Karim was trying to recruit Sirajul as a freedom fighter. He claimed that the captain was hiding in a bush near a marsh along the road to Kaptai when he witnessed the murders.
He also told the court that a freedom fighter, who has now passed away, had told him that he had seen Salauddin kill Nutan Chandra Singh of Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya in Chittagong.
Testifying against the lawmaker from Chittagong, the prosecution witness also claimed that Salauddin and his associates had abducted an Awami League leader and his son from Hathazari of Chittagong in April 1971.
Sheikh Mozaffar Ahmed and his son Sheikh Alamgir were picked up from Tin Rastar Mor of Hathazari and were later killed. Their bodies were never found, the witness claimed.
The 64-year-old witness began giving his testimony on Thursday in the case against Salauddin, who is facing 23 counts of crimes against humanity charges at the tribunal. Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Nizamul Huq, yesterday finished recording the 220-minute deposition of Sirajul Islam alias Shiru Bangalee. The defence began the cross-examination yesterday but the proceedings were adjourned after just one question.
In his testimony, Sirajul said on April 13, 1971, Salauddin along with Pakistani army personnel led a killing mission in the predominantly Hindu areas of Gahira, Sultanpur and Jagotmandal in Chittagong.
The Pakistan army and its collaborators shot and killed people of different religions indiscriminately and looted their homes, he said.
He said Salauddin's father Fazlul Quader Chowdhury had lost the 1970 general election to a young Awami Leaguer by a considerable margin. Fazlul's family was unhappy and they thought that the Hindu community's votes had cost Fazlul the election.
Salauddin and Fazlul led mass killings, looting and repression on women and forced them to leave the country to assert their dominance in the area, said Sirajul, who learnt this from Capt Karim.
Sirajul told the tribunal that in Khagrachhari he had met Bibhuti Bhushan, who was a freedom fighter from Raozan of Chittagong. Bibhuti has passed away.
Sirajul said Bibhuti told him that he had climbed up a tree in Raozan, while he was going to Hathazari from Rangamati, as he had seen a convoy of Pakistani troops approaching. The convoy was moving toward Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya, a herbal medicine store.
The Pakistani soldiers dragged the owner of the store, Nutan Chandra Singh, out and interrogated him, said Sirajul, quoting Bibhuti. After the interrogation, the army left, he said.
“As Salauddin Quader found his plan unsuccessful, he returned to the store a few moments later with two or three soldiers,” said the witness quoting Bibhuti.
“Shoot him,” was the order from Salauddin Quader, who also shot a few bullets into Nutan for good measure, Sirajul said.
Bibhuti witnessed the whole incident from the tree branch he was sitting on.
Sirajul said he along with other freedom fighters had begun capturing collaborators from October 27, 1971. They caught a close aide to Fazlul, Haji Abdus Sattar alias Sattar Haji, during the Liberation War.
“On interrogation, I came to know that Salauddin saheb was injured by a bullet on September 20 during a guerrilla attack but managed to escape alive while his driver was killed,” he said, adding, “Sattar showed me the September 21, 1971, issue of the daily Azadi as I had refused to believe his statement.”
Sirajul said the Al Badr force, led by Mir Kashem Ali, used Hotel Dalim in Chittagong as a torture cell.
Sirajul said he had sworn to a martyred freedom fighter that he would kill Kashem Ali but could not keep his promise as Kashem went into hiding after November 15, 1971.
The Al Badr, formed to collaborate with the Pakistani army, actively opposed the country's independence.
Salauddin's defence will resume cross-examining the witness today.
Meanwhile, Fakhrul Islam, a defence counsel of Salauddin, yesterday responded to the show cause notice the tribunal had served on him earlier.
The notice was issued on May 15 against him in connection with calling prosecution witness Prof Anisuzzaman a liar before the media.
According to the document submitted before the court yesterday, Fakhrul apologised unconditionally and sought mercy.
Tribunal-1 fixed Thursday for hearing on his application.
The tribunal also recorded the cross-examination of the investigation officer in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee for the 12th day yesterday. The cross-examination will continue today.
The Jamaat leader is facing 20 counts of crimes against humanity at the tribunal.