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Brutally tortured at Good's Hill

VC of Sylhet university testifies against SQ Chy at war crimes tribunal

Staff Correspondent
The vice-chancellor of a public university yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 how he was brutally tortured at the residence of Sa 1 ahuddin Quader Chowdhury's father in Chittagong by Pakistani army and their collaborators during the Liberation War.
Prof Dr Md Saleh Uddin, VC of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, said he was brutally tortured at the diktat of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, father of war crimes accused Salahuddin Quader, at their Goods Hill residence.
Salahuddin Quader also beat him up during the torture, the vice-chancellor
added.
"At one stage of torture, my lips and some portions of my face cracked and I fell on the ground," said Prof Saleh Uddin, adding he fainted several times on the day of his captivity in the third week of July in 1971.
The VC said although he was seriously wounded, Salahuddin Quader was not satisfied and slapped hard on his face as he did not cry. Prof Saleh Uddin, 61, is the eighth prosecution witness in a case filed against the BNP lawmaker for his alleged involvement in war crimes committed during the Liberation War. In 1971, Saleh Uddin was a student of economics at Chittagong University and lodged at the house of Raja Khan Chowdhury in Mohora village in Chittagong.
"One early morning in the third week of July, the then chairman of nearby Burishwar union and supporter of Convention Muslim League Shamsu Mia along with three others came to me between 5:30am and 6:00am and asked me to go with them," said Saleh Uddin.
After moving 200-300 yards, he saw a military jeep and two Pakistani soldiers. "They frisked me and took me on the jeep. Shamsu Mia sat beside the driver," Prof Saleh said.
Dropping Shamsu near his house, the jeep moved towards Salahuddin Quader's father Fazlul Quader Chowdhury's Goods Hill through Nojumia Haat and Arakan Road.
" I saw Fazlul Quader sitting on a chair in front of a tea table. I also saw Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury," he said, adding, Fazlul Quader enquired about his identity.
"As I replied, Fazlul Quader ordered others to beat me up."
The two soldiers dragged him to the first floor of Goods Hill. A few minutes later two men — Hamidul Kabir and Sekandar -- entered the room. People called Hamidul as the chief of auxiliary force Ai-Shams, said Saleh Uddin.
"Without making any conversation, they began to beat me up indiscriminately," he said, adding, Salahuddin Quader's men kept asking him, "Where are the arms? Where are the others [freedom fighters]?''
"At one stage, one soldier began to beat me up with the bed stands. They broke three bed stands. I almost fainted," the SUSTVC said, adding that they kept asking him to answer their questions.
The men then dragged him down to the ground
floor where Salahuddin Quader was waiting.
"He is not even shedding tears, what beating have you given him?" the VC quoted Salahuddin Quader as saying.
Salahuddin then slapped him hard on his left cheek and told his men to take him to the garage downstairs which was used as a torture cell, Saleh said.
They then started beating him up there with a hosepipe. "It seemed to me I would die anytime,” he said.
Saleh Uddin fainted for a while and was later taken upstairs. Nurul Islam, a senior student of Chittagong University, who served as the principal of Pahartali College, came to meet him.
Nurul asked him whether he answered to their questions.
"I told him I was not involved in anything. What would I admit?” Saleh replied.
Nurul said he would see whether something could be done for Saleh Uddin. That evening some villagers went to Goods Hill and said Saleh Uddin was a good student and was not involved in anything wrong.
"Salahuddin Quader told me he would collect more information about me," Saleh said, adding, he was asked to stay in Mohora. The soldiers then escorted him to the village on a car.
After staying a few days in Mohora, Saleh left the village in fear.
In response to a question from the prosecution. Prof Saleh Uddin said during the torture, he saw another young captive on the first floor of Goods Hill and heard Salahuddin's driver saying "That man would be killed."
The youth was taken out after a few minutes. He did not see him again as long as he stayed at the house.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice Md Nizamul Huq started recording Saleh Uddin's 100-
minute testimony at around 10:00am yesterday. Salahuddin Quader was present in the court.
Defence counsel Ahsanul Huq Hena is set to cross-examine Saleh Uddin today.
Salahuddin Quader is facing 23 counts of crimes against humanity at the tribunal.
Later, cross-examination of the investigation officer by the defence of detained Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Delawar Hossain Sayedee continued for the 35th time at the tribunal.
Sayedee is facing 20 charges of crimes against humanity committed in 1971.
QUADER MOLLAH'S CASE Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday adjourned the case proceeding against Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah till today.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir adjourned the case proceeding following a time plea of the prosecution, as they could not produce a female witness "due to illness of her mother".
Yesterday was fixed for recording the testimony of the fourth prosecution witness behind closed doors.
On July 12, the tribunal decided to allow two female witnesses, members of victims' families, to give their testimonies against the Jamaat assistant secretary general in closed doors to protect their identity and privacy.
Of them, the first female witness gave her testimony on July 17.
Ekramul Huqe, one of the defence counsels, told The Daily Star the prosecution sought time as they could not produce the witness before the court and the tribunal allowed them time till today.
Prosecutor Nurjahan Begum Mukta told The Daily Star, "We could not produce the witness due to her mother's illness and sought time."