SQ Chy guilty of murder, genocide

The first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh has found Salauddin Quader Chowdhury guilty of genocide, loot, arson, deportation during the 1971 Liberation War.

Reading out the first part of the 172-page summary verdict, Justice Anwarul Haque on Tuesday said the prosecution had failed to prove charge number one against the BNP leader.

Justice Jahangir Hossain took over Justice Haque and started reading out the second part of the judgment from page 51.

The justices observed that the prosecution has successfully proven charges from 2 to 8, 17 and 18.

These charges include genocide, murder, abduction and torture.

However, the prosecution failed to prove charges 1, 10, 11, 12, 14, 19, 20 and 23.

Charge number 9, 13, 15, 16, 21 and 22 were not evaluated as the prosecution failed to produce any witnesses during the trial.

His crimes were reported from Chittagong during the War of Independence.

In the first charge Salauddin Quader was accused of genocide.

He was said to have ordered the abduction of seven Hindus on Apr 4-5, 1971. Six of them were tortured to death at his 'Goods Hill' residence in his presence.

However, the tribunal, formed to try crimes committed during the nation's struggle for freedom, found him guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, planning, complicity, loot, arson and deportation in other cases.

According to the second charge, on Apr 13, 1971 he accompanied the Pakistani army that raided Maddhya Gohira Hindu Parha in Raozan and killed Poncha Bala Sharma, Sunil Sharma, Jyoti Lal Sharma, and Dulal Sharma on the spot.

Another victim, Dr Makhon Lal Sharma, died after several days from wounds sustained during the attacks.

Another victim, Jayanta Kumar Sharma, was alive for some years, but crippled.

The third charge accused the BNP MP of killing Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner and social worker Nutan Chandra Singha of Raozan’s Gohira on Apr 13.

Killing of the unarmed Singha has been described as a crime against humanity.

In the fourth charge, he was found guilty of planning, complicity, genocide, loot, arson, and deportation.

He had led a group of collaborators along with Pakistan army and raided Jogot Mollo Parha on April 13, 1971.

Two of his accomplices had met the Hindus and asked them to attend a peace meeting.

They were fired upon when they gathered in the courtyard of Kiron Bikash Chowdhury’s house.

As many as 32 people were killed while three others survived with injuries. Later the house was looted and set on fire. The survivors later fled to India.

The fifth charge brought against Salauddin Quader includes genocide and arson. He had led the Pakistani army to Banik Parha at Sultanpur village at Raozan at noon on Apr 13, 1971 where they opened fire on the unarmed civilian Hindus and killed four.

He was elected MP six times from the city.

He was brought to the court premises around 10am on Tuesday.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, gave opening statements at around 10:43am.

He would announce the punishment for Salauddin Quader after Justice Jahangir Hossain is done with the second part of the judgement.

The BNP Standing Committee member was indicted for 23 war crimes charges including murder, genocide, abduction, and torture.