24 Sep 2012: Chowdhury 13th witness testimony

After the Sayedee witness, the tribunal then moved to the case of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, and the witness Ashish Chowdhury, the 13th prosecution witness came to the witness box. [See 12th witness evidence]

Name: Ashish Chowdhury Father’s name: Martyr Premangshu Bimal Chowdhury Mother’s name: Jotsna Rani Chowdhury

What is your age: 49 years old

Prosecution: What is your Education

Witness: I have passed HSC in Commerce group.

Prosecution: What is your Profession

Witness: I am working as an office assistant in Kundeshwari Pharmacy since 1405 (Bangla year)

In the year of 1971 I was 8/10 years old. In 13 April, 1971 my father told my mother that the war has been started, he told her to move away with his children to Binajury to my Aunt Kuti Rani Sarkar’s house. Then on that very day we moved to Binajury. Approximately at 2/3 pm my maternal uncle came to my aunt’s house and told us about tragic happenings at our village. All members of our family were killed. Hearing this we all started to cry holding my maternal uncle. He also told that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury along with his Muslim Leage followers led Pakistani army to our house and they killed my father Premangshu Bimol Chowdhury, my elder brother Ashok Kumar Chowdhury, my elder aunt Monoroma Chowdhury, my paternal uncle Shitangshu Bimal Chowdhury, my cousin Samir Chowdhury and more 30/35 people of my family and villagers. My elder Aunt Jotosna Bala Chowdhury and neighbor Amalendu Biswas was injured. After hearing this news and as shooting started from everywhere so we decided that Aunt house is not also secure. Then me, my mother and my two younger sisters we all went to Baruapara for self-protection. As we didn’t feel secure there, so we started for India at 10 pm probably. At first we reached at subroom of India and then went for Agartola refugee camp. We stayed there until the independence of the country. After independence we returned back home and saw that there were jungle in everywhere and only the mud made walls were standing there, no doors and windows in those house and some have turned into ashes. We heard from people that 4 days later of that incident the people from Baruapara came and they buried all the bodies of our yard in a mass grave nearby. After independence my Uncle Shontosh Kumar Chowdhury called the people of Baruapara and Baruipara. They figured out the grave and he dug the grave and picked those bones and burned them in our family crematorium. I heard from my Aunt Jotosna Bala Chowdhury, neighbor Amalendu Chowdhury and uncle Shontosh Ranjan Chowdhury that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and his Muslim Leage Followers led the Pakistani Army and killed 30/35 people on our yard. My elder Aunt Jtosna Bala Chowdhury was injured by a bullet shot on her left thigh. After returning back we also heard that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and his followers after one month of that incident caught Bijoy Krishna Chowdhury, Hirendra Chowdhury, Bivuti Vushon Chowdhury at the bank of Dabua canal and killed them there. In their memory, in my village Jagatmallapara a monument was made. The name of all the martyr are listed in that monument. I gave a testimony to the I.O. I know Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. Today he is present in the court.