Mueen, Ashraf were directly involved

Alleged al-Badr leaders Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan had been “directly involved” in the abduction of Dhaka University teachers from the campus on December 14, 1971, and the victims had never returned, said a prosecution witness yesterday.
Rashedul Islam, son of martyred DU teacher Abul Khair, told International Crimes Tribunal-2 that he had heard about their involvement from Mafiz, driver of a minibus used to pick up the abductees from the university.
Rashedul, the 18th prosecution witness in the case against Mueen and Ashraf, said Masuda Banu Ratna, niece of Prof Giasuddin, one of the abducted teachers, had also told his mother about the involvement of the two in the abduction.
The first prosecution witness in the case, Ratna testified on July 15 that she had recognised Mueen and Ashraf when the duo had gone to her uncle's house on the day of the abduction.
Several other family members of the victims, who testified as prosecution witnesses, have accused Mueen and Ashraf of the abduction and the killings of DU teachers.
During his 37-minute testimony, Rashedul, who was only six then, said his father had been an assistant professor of the history department in 1971 and had been living in the staff quarters on the DU campus.
A progressive and pro-liberation man, Abul Khair was walking in front of their building around 9:00am on December 14, 1971, when four to five armed youths showed up there and asked for his identity, said Rashedul.
When Abul Khair, who had been detained and tortured by Pakistani army in May that year and was released later, identified himself, the armed men blindfolded him, dragging him to a minibus that was covered with mud.
“At that time, I was playing on our veranda. I watched the incident from there and told my mother,” Rashedul went on.
When his mother attempted to have his father released from the youths, they threatened to shoot her and took him away on the minibus, he added.
Rashedul mentioned that the youths had then abducted another DU teacher, Faizul Mahi, from the third floor of the building in the same way.
After December 16, 1971, Rashedul's cousin Fazlul Rashid and maternal Uncle Iqbal Haider Chowdhury searched for his father but could not find him, said Rashedul, adding that he had learnt about the search from his mother.
The driver Mafiz was brought to their house on January 4 the following year. He said a number of bodies of intellectuals had been dumped in Mirpur killing ground. Following his information, Rashedul's relatives identified his father's body, which was buried beside the DU mosque, Rashedul added.
“Masuda Banu Ratna later told my mother that Chowdhury Mueen and Ashrafuzzaman Khan were directly involved in the killing of the intellectuals, who were abducted from the Dhaka University campus on the same day [December 14, 1971].
“I want exemplary punishment to those involved for the killing of my father and other intellectuals,” Rashedul appealed to the court as he completed his testimony.
Tribunal-appointed defence counsels Abdus Shukur Khan and Salma Hai Tuny completed cross-examining him. They claimed their clients were not involved in the killings.
The two-member tribunal of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Shahinur Islam adjourned the case proceedings until tomorrow. Tribunal Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan was on leave yesterday.
Mueen and Ashraf are facing 11 charges in connection with the killing of 18 intellectuals in the last week of the nine-month-long war of independence. The two are now in London and New York.