'Mir Quasem ordered the killings of Tuntun Sen, Ranajit Das’

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali had ordered the death of Tuntun Sen and Ranajit Das after the two were taken to Chittagong’s Dalim Hotel during Bangladesh’s Liberation War, the second war crimes tribunal has heard.

Sunil Kanti Bardhan alias Dulal, the prosecution’s fourth witness against the 72-year old, testified in the International Crimes Tribunal on Monday.

Bardhan said he had witnessed many being killed next to ‘Chaktai Khal’, a canal, while he was a captive in the nearby Al-Badr camp in Khatunganj.

Vigilante militia groups like the Razakars, Al Badr and Al Shams were alleged to have committed widespread atrocities in aid of Pakistan Army.

He told the court that he was taken next to latrine near the canal but was not killed because of doubts the Al-Badr men had about him.

Now a resident of Chittagong City, Bardhan hails from Parparha village of Patia Upazila.

“Al-Badr had a camp in a building called ‘Dosto Mohammad Panjabi’ in Khatunganj which is an area for leather depots,” he told the court.

He said he had gotten on a boat with his wife, child and household worker when the security situation declined in November of 1971.

On his way, he was captured by Al-Bard who took him to their camp.

“One day I saw them take out the bulbs in the building,” said the witness. “An Al-Badr named Qamrul told me, ‘I can no longer save you, you will be taken to Dalim Hotel tomorrow.”

“Mir Qasem will be there, he will not let you live.”

He said Qamrul sometimes helped the captive by giving them water, food and sometimes opened their blindfolds.

“The following day (Dec 14), at approximately 5am, the blindfolded captives were put on a truck to be taken to Dalim Hotel,” said Bardhan.

“We were being kicked down from the truck when we reached there.”

Among others, Mir Quasem was present in the room where the captives were being taken, he said.

“He ordered us, ‘Tell me what you all know’.”

When the captives informed him nothing, Mir Qasim said, “You will all be killed.”

“The Al-Badr men locked the room and left at 10am. There were no traces of them that day and we began the struggle to take our blindfolds off so we could sleep.”

There were some more men being held in the room of the storey below, according to Bardhan.

“They told me that Tuntun Sen and others were killed on the orders of Mir Quasem,” the witness told the court.

“We opened a window in our room at around 2pm on Dec 15. Not seeing sign of anyone’s presence, we again shut the window.

“One knocked the window at around 2am and told us, “Don’t be scared. The country is going to be free. We’ll bring you out. That man also gave us some food.’”

He said locals broke open the door on Dec 16 and freed them. After freedom, he came to know from the wives of Tuntun and Ranajit that they had been killed by Al-Badr members.

The witness said their wives had told him that they were abducted by Al-Badr men at the instruction of Mir Quasem.

Bardhan said Al-Shams members loyal to Fazlul Quader Chowdhury took his father Bajendra Lal Bardhan to his Goods Hill residence from municipal corporation office at Andarkilla in Chittagong late in April during the war.

Later his release was secured with the help of an associate of Fazlul Quader.

Following his deposition, Bardhan was cross-examined by Quasem’s lawyer Mizanul Islam before the tribunal adjourned the hearing until Monday.

On Dec 11, first prosecution witness Syed Md Emran testified in the case and the tribunal framed charges on Sept 5 against Quasem.

The 18 charges involve murders of eight people through torture and concealing their bodies, and torture of 34 more people in captivity.

Executive Council member of the Jamaat, Mir Quasem was arrested on Jan 17.

He is known as the main financer of the Jamaat. He is a former chairman of Islami Bank and residence representative of an NGO, Rabita al-Alam al-Islami.

He is the chairman of Diganta Media Corporation, the holding company of Naya Diganga newspaper and Diganta TV.

Quasem was elected the chief of Islami Chhatra Shibir when it was renamed from Islami Chhatra Sangha on Feb 6, 1977.