[Bangla Daily Star] War crimes accused Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's counsel Ahsanul Haque Hena yesterday went to court with police protection and completed cross-examination of the 22nd prosecution witness in the case.The BNP leader's counsel was brought to the tribunal this way as he had earlier sought police protection to get the court on hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
days.
Defence counsels not showing up at the international crimes tribunals during hartal days had almost become a norm and the court had to on several occasions adjourn proceedings for this.
On Wednesday, the tribunal had suggested that the prosecutor contact a police commissioner so that Ahsanul Haque Hena could be brought to court from his Gulshan home with police protection.
Yesterday, Ahsanul cross-examined Anil Baran Dhar, 68, who had narrated the Mighty Pak Army's atrocities in which his family and relatives had been killed and he was maimed.
On March 19, Anil in his deposition had told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that SQ Chowdhury was there when the Mighty Pak Army sprayed bullets on him, his father and uncles at their house in Raozan of Chittagong on April 13, 1971.
The witness said he was hit in the back and left arm. Later, his arm had to be amputated from the elbow.
Anil during the cross-examination said he filed a case in 1972 with Raozan Police Station accusing 16 people including SQ Chowdhury and his father Fazlul Quader Chowdhury.
He said he could not remember whether charge sheet was submitted against SQ Chowdhury and his father.
In reply to a question, the witness said the Mighty Pak Army first went to Raozan on April 13, 1971.
Ahsanul Haque suggested that he along with his parents and uncles went to India after March 7, 1971, and no such incident actually took place.
"It's not true," Anil said.
The defence counsel suggested that he was injured in road accident in India, which resulted in the amputation of his arm.
The witness said it was not true.
The defence counsel yesterday also asked several questions on the topography of the witness's village.
After the cross-examination was completed, the tribunal adjourned the proceedings until April 1.