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SQ Chy shot at Nutan

Fourth witness testifies at war tribunal

Staff Correspondent
War crimes accused BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury shot two to three bullets at Nutan Chandra Singha a few minutes after then Pakistani occupation army had sprayed bullets on him, said the fourth prosecution witness.
Bullets had hit him on the left side of the face and chest, septuagenarian
Gouranga Singha, nephew of Nutan Chandra, told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 during his one-hour deposition yesterday. The recording of the testimony began at 11:00am.
Gouranga'sfatherDwarika Mohon Singha, his uncles Nilambar Singha and Nutan Chandra Singha used to live as a joint family at Kundeshwari of Gahira village in Chittagong during the Liberation War in 1971.
"We, Himangshu Boidya, Brozohori Karmakar, Gopal Das, Monoranjan Singha, Nutatn Chandra and I, were at my uncle's [Nutan] house that day. We were trying to convince him to move to a safe place but he did not agree,” said Gouranga giving the date of the incident as Chaitra 30 (according to the Bangla calendar).
At this, the defence asked the witness to give the date according to the English calendar but Gouranga failed to recall.
The witness said while they were talking at Nutan's house, Salauddin along with Pakistani army came to the house by a military jeep around 9:00am. Seeing them, all but Nutan Chandra fled and took refuge in nearby woods south from the house.
“Brozohori told me that he and Gopal hid on the first floor of the house from where he saw Salauddin and the army personnel force entered the house. They left after talking to Nutan Chandra,” said Gouranga, who also used to look after the family business of herbal medicine.
"A few minutes later they came back. Brozohori later told me that through the window he had seen them
drag my uncle out from the temple and riddled him with bullets. After a few minutes, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury shot at him and left,” said Gouranga.
Brozohori also told Gouranga that Nutan's body had laid there for two to three days before chairman of the village Amanat Khan called some people and cremated it.
Gouranga also shared his experience of that time with the tribunal.
"I understood they had talked with my uncle and left,” he said.
As the defence drew the tribunal's attention over the word “understood”, Gouranga said he assumed it hearing the sound of the engine of the jeep from the woods.
“Ten minutes later, I heard the vehicle coming back. Then I heard the sound of firing, perhaps of sten guns. After a few minutes, I heard two to three more gunshots," said Gouranga adding that they then moved further south to save themselves.
They took shelter in their neighbour Ahmed Bashar's house and requested him to collect information about Nutan Chandra. Bashar told them that their uncle had been killed and his bloodstained body had been lying in front of the temple.
“Hearing this, we --Himangshu, Monoranjan, Bhaskar, Bashar and I — rushed home and covered the body with a piece of canvas," he said, adding that they found the left side of the face and chest riddled with bullets."
Gouranga then moved to his father-in-law's house in Binajuri and there on to India through Ramgarh. He returned to Bangladesh eight
to 10 days after the independence. After the return, Brozohori narrated that day's storytohim.
Satyaranjan, son of Nutan Chandra, had filed a case in connection with the killing with Raujan Police Station after the Liberation War, said the witness adding that he did not know about the fate of the case.
He said all his family members except for himself and his cousin Profulla, who witnessed the liberation war, were dead.
Defence counsel Ahsanul Huq Hena began cross-examining the witness by asking whether Gouranga could identify Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in the courtroom.
Gouranga responded in the affirmative and turned his face towards the dock where Salauddin was. At this, Salauddin waved his hand at Gouranga and the witness waved him back.
Salauddin is facing 23 counts of charges of crimes against humanity committed during the LiberationWar.
The proceedings of the case were adjourned until June 6.
The tribunal asked the prosecution to bring the third witness of the case, Sirajul Islam alias Shiru Bangalee, on June 6 for cross-examination.
The court then began recording cross-examination of the investigation officer of a case filed against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in connection with war crimes.
Sayedee is facing 20 charges of crimes against humanity committed in 1971. The proceedings of the case were adjourned until June5.