Prosecution witness and widow of martyred intellectual Dr Abdul Alim Chowdhury on Thursday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that she does not have any idea whether Matiur Rahman Nizami was implicated in her husband’s murder case.“As the case was filed by the government, I can’t say who were made accused in connection with the abduction and her husband’s murder,” said PW-13 Shaymoly Nasrin Chowdhury.
As part of a planned assault on Bengali intellectuals, eye specialist Alim Chowdhury was abducted by Jamaat-e-Islami’s vigilante group Al-Badr on December 15, 1971 from his Purana Paltan house and his decomposed body was found three days later with that of many other intellectuals at Rayerbazar mass grave, Dhaka.
During the Liberation War, martyred Dr Alim Chowdhury had been serving as associate professor at the Ophthalmology department at Salimullah Medical College Hospital, Dhaka and helped freedom fighters.
On the closing day of cross-examination, PW-13, also a noted educationist, told the tribunal: “I heard the news about the acquittal of all the accused in connection with the case relating to her husband’s abduction and murder. At that time, the government of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was in power.”
Shaymoly admitted that the assigned investigation officer of the case had come to her house and interrogated her. “But I can’t say whether that had been turned into statement. I didn’t give any evidence before any court in this connection.”
Asked whether she filed any application before the higher court against the acquittal of the accused, Shaymoly replied in the negative and said, “We didn’t do it because we have not filed the case.”
Asked whether she has any knowledge over 40 cases filed in connection with the killing of intellectuals in 1971 during the rule of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the PW said: “Yes, but I can’t say the specific number of cases. I also can’t recall whether the name of Nizami was there as an accused.”
Referring to her television interviews aired at different times, the PW was asked as to why she did not point out that members of Al Badr abducted her husband from his house at the behest of Nizami, PW Shaymoly told the tribunal: ”During TV interviews, I always had mentioned the names of Al Badr high command, including Nizami, Mujahid, Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan. But the television authorities aired only the edited versions of my interviews.”
Shaymoly, also retired principal of Udayan High School, however, admitted that nowhere in her book published in 1991 commemorating her martyred husband she blamed Nizami for abduction of her husband.
Giving an explanation over the matter, she said, ”Had it been mentioned, the book would not have been published.”
During the cross-examination of the PW-13, detained accused Matiur Rahman Nizami, ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, was produced in the dock amid tight security.
The Jamaat chief, being tried on charges of involvement in murders and torture of unarmed people along with hatching conspiracy, planning, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistan occupation army.
Also the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1971, Nizami faces 16 counts of charges based on 16 separate incidents of crimes against humanity, in which at least 600 unarmed people were killed and 31 women raped during the Liberation War.
– UNB
