Investigators hear accusations against SQ Chy
Saturday, 25 September 2010
CHITTAGONG, Sept 24 (bdnews24.com): Influential BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury led the murder of a minority Hindu community member in the port city during the independence war in 1971, investigators heard.
The family of Nutan Chandra Singha, then the owner of a herbal medicine factory 'Kundeshwari', informed the inquiry team of the International Crimes Tribunal that Nutan was killed at his home at Gahira of Rauzan in 1971.
The team, led by the tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Golam Arif Tipu, went to Singha's residence Friday morning.
Prafulla Chandra Singha, the son of Nutan, revealed the incidents of that day to the probe team.
He alleged that Chowdhury had brought Pakistani army personnel to their house on April 13, 1971. Later, the Pakistani forces dragged Nutan from the house's temple and killed him brutally.
Prafulla, however, was not in the country when his father was killed. "Immediately after the liberation war had begun, the then Bangladesh Chhatra Union leader and freedom fighter Abdullah Al Noman and his elder brother Abdullah Al Harun made arrangements to send our family to India in a bid to save us", he added.
"My father, however, refused to go. He had said that he would not go anywhere leaving his country and mother [idle of that temple]," Prafulla added.
Noman is now vice-president of the opposition BNP, while his elder brother Awami League leader Harun is dead.
Prafulla said he had learned the details of that day in question from Amanat Khan Chowdhury, a former chairman of Gahira Union Council, who has also died.
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, son of Muslim League leader Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, however, has always refuted all such allegations against him. He claims that he was studying abroad during the war.
Asked about the motive of the murder, Prafulla told journalists, "At least 25 families of Chittagong University teachers including that of Prof Anisuzzaman took shelter in our house after the black night of March 25. Fazlul Quader Chowdhury got angry with us for that reason."
Moreover, Prafulla added, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman once visited our house just before the national election in 1970. Fazlul Quader had never been defeated in any elections but in 1970. As a large number of minority community members cast their votes, Fazlul Quader lost the polls for the first time. This also had infuriated him, according to Prafulla.
Rauzan's Hindus never dared to exercise their voting rights before 1970, claimed Prafulla.
Fazlul Quader, speaker of the undivided Pakistan as well as president of the Muslim League before Bangladesh's independence, died as a prisoner at Dhaka Central Jail on July 18, 1973.
Prafulla added that his elder brother Satya Ranjan Singha had filed a murder case on January 29, 1972 charging Salahuddin and his father.
As a testimony to his accounts, Prafulla referred to the book: 'Bengalis' Nationalist Struggle and Chittagong in the Liberation War', edited by freedom fighter Mahfuzur Rahman. Rahman is the chairman of the Chittagong Liberation War Research Centre.
The book says on April 13, a team Razakars (local militias fighting for the Pakistan army) led by Salahuddin Quader dragged Nutan out of his residence, while he was offering his prayers in the temple. At first the Pakistani occupation forces left Nutan unhurt, the book adds, but Salahuddin brought them back. Later they shot Nutan dead in front of the temple.
After visiting the house of Nutan, the tribunal investigators went to the Jagatmallaparha and Unasatturparha execution grounds. Local members of Razakar force and Pakistani army, on April 13, 1971, killed 35 pro-liberation people, seven from one family, at Jagatmallaparha and 79 Hindus at Unasatturparha.
The tribunal team also took testimonies of the eye-witnesses.
Prosecutor Ziad Al Malum told newsmen at 3.00pm that the team would visit some other mass graves in Chittagong and would speak with families of war martyrs.
"The mass media have portrayed Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and his father as war criminals. We are also getting witnesses who back the allegations," Malum added.
The team is visiting Rauzan in Chittagong seemingly to investigate some similar war crime allegations against the senior BNP leader.
The tribunal will hold discussion with the freedom fighters and other pro-liberation citizens of the port city for information, said Ziad Al Malum, a member of the team.
Several ministers recently commented that BNP standing committee member Chowdhury, hailing from Rauzan, should be tried for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the independence war.
The investigation team also comprises lawyers Mokhlesur Rahman Badal, additional superintendents of police Nurul Islam and Matiur Rahman, and inspectors Abdur Razzak Khan and Idris Ali.
The family of Nutan Chandra Singha, then the owner of a herbal medicine factory 'Kundeshwari', informed the inquiry team of the International Crimes Tribunal that Nutan was killed at his home at Gahira of Rauzan in 1971.
The team, led by the tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Golam Arif Tipu, went to Singha's residence Friday morning.
Prafulla Chandra Singha, the son of Nutan, revealed the incidents of that day to the probe team.
He alleged that Chowdhury had brought Pakistani army personnel to their house on April 13, 1971. Later, the Pakistani forces dragged Nutan from the house's temple and killed him brutally.
Prafulla, however, was not in the country when his father was killed. "Immediately after the liberation war had begun, the then Bangladesh Chhatra Union leader and freedom fighter Abdullah Al Noman and his elder brother Abdullah Al Harun made arrangements to send our family to India in a bid to save us", he added.
"My father, however, refused to go. He had said that he would not go anywhere leaving his country and mother [idle of that temple]," Prafulla added.
Noman is now vice-president of the opposition BNP, while his elder brother Awami League leader Harun is dead.
Prafulla said he had learned the details of that day in question from Amanat Khan Chowdhury, a former chairman of Gahira Union Council, who has also died.
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, son of Muslim League leader Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, however, has always refuted all such allegations against him. He claims that he was studying abroad during the war.
Asked about the motive of the murder, Prafulla told journalists, "At least 25 families of Chittagong University teachers including that of Prof Anisuzzaman took shelter in our house after the black night of March 25. Fazlul Quader Chowdhury got angry with us for that reason."
Moreover, Prafulla added, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman once visited our house just before the national election in 1970. Fazlul Quader had never been defeated in any elections but in 1970. As a large number of minority community members cast their votes, Fazlul Quader lost the polls for the first time. This also had infuriated him, according to Prafulla.
Rauzan's Hindus never dared to exercise their voting rights before 1970, claimed Prafulla.
Fazlul Quader, speaker of the undivided Pakistan as well as president of the Muslim League before Bangladesh's independence, died as a prisoner at Dhaka Central Jail on July 18, 1973.
Prafulla added that his elder brother Satya Ranjan Singha had filed a murder case on January 29, 1972 charging Salahuddin and his father.
As a testimony to his accounts, Prafulla referred to the book: 'Bengalis' Nationalist Struggle and Chittagong in the Liberation War', edited by freedom fighter Mahfuzur Rahman. Rahman is the chairman of the Chittagong Liberation War Research Centre.
The book says on April 13, a team Razakars (local militias fighting for the Pakistan army) led by Salahuddin Quader dragged Nutan out of his residence, while he was offering his prayers in the temple. At first the Pakistani occupation forces left Nutan unhurt, the book adds, but Salahuddin brought them back. Later they shot Nutan dead in front of the temple.
After visiting the house of Nutan, the tribunal investigators went to the Jagatmallaparha and Unasatturparha execution grounds. Local members of Razakar force and Pakistani army, on April 13, 1971, killed 35 pro-liberation people, seven from one family, at Jagatmallaparha and 79 Hindus at Unasatturparha.
The tribunal team also took testimonies of the eye-witnesses.
Prosecutor Ziad Al Malum told newsmen at 3.00pm that the team would visit some other mass graves in Chittagong and would speak with families of war martyrs.
"The mass media have portrayed Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and his father as war criminals. We are also getting witnesses who back the allegations," Malum added.
The team is visiting Rauzan in Chittagong seemingly to investigate some similar war crime allegations against the senior BNP leader.
The tribunal will hold discussion with the freedom fighters and other pro-liberation citizens of the port city for information, said Ziad Al Malum, a member of the team.
Several ministers recently commented that BNP standing committee member Chowdhury, hailing from Rauzan, should be tried for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the independence war.
The investigation team also comprises lawyers Mokhlesur Rahman Badal, additional superintendents of police Nurul Islam and Matiur Rahman, and inspectors Abdur Razzak Khan and Idris Ali.