My father was bayoneted to death

Dr Alim Chowdhury’s daughter tells ICT

DHAKA, Aug 5: Dr Farzana Chowdhury Nipa, daughter of martyred intellectual Dr Alim Chowdhury, told International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) that her father was brutally bayoneted to death.

She made the statement Sunday adducing her evidence in the crimes against humanity case against Jamaat leaders Md Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Moinuddin.

“I was not allowed to see the body of my father. But I heard my younger sister saying what a huge blood in our father’s body!”

She is the ninth prosecution witness (PW) in the case. She demanded capital punishment to the accused persons. He also demanded punishment of Jamaat which formed various auxiliary forces including AL-Badr to commit crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971.

“I demand punishment to all accused persons who killed intellectuals including my father,” she added.

Government-appointed defence counsels Abdus Sakkur Khan and Salma Hye Tuni started cross-examination of Nipa. The cross-examination is scheduled to be resumed today (Monday).

Dr Abdul Alim was a renowned eye specialist. The activists of AL-Badr picked him up on December 15, 1971. His distorted body was found in Rayerbazar killing ground after three days on December 18.

Now 45, Farzana was three-year-old in 1971. She burst into tears while narrating the tragic story in the tribunal.

Dr Abdul Alim was involved in the language movement during his student life. He along with Dr Fazle Rabbi set up a secret hospital to treat the injured freedom fighters in 1971.

AL-Badr activists led by Jamaat leaders Md Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Moinuddin targeted him. They finally apprehended and brutally killed him. Earlier, wife of the deceased Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, adduced her evidence and cried in the ICT.

Nipa said his father along with the family members used to live in a rented house at 29/1 Purana Paltan in the capital. She said a microbus tainted with mud stopped in front of the house at about 4:00 pm on December 15.

“My father was sitting on a veranda in the first floor of the house. My mother was standing beside him. Two armed members of AL-Badr got down from the microbus. They went to downstairs where AL-Badr organiser Maulana Abdul Mannan used to live. After 20-30 minutes, they went to upstairs.”

She said her father went to seek help from Maulana Mannan. Mannan advised her father to go to his room assuring him of no harm to be caused in his presence in the house.

When Dr Alim came back to upstairs, he found the killers entered the room. “The killers asked my father to go with them. My father was wearing a shirt and a lungi. As my father wanted to change dress, the killers said it was not necessary.”

The AL-Badr activists picked up Dr Alim in the micro and sped away.