BANGLADESH NEWS
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's war crimes investigator on Tuesday had to dig deep into his records for minutes on end as he faced the defence at the first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh.
Standing in the dock for the 20th day, ASP Mohammad Helal Uddin was mostly cross-examined on how he ascertained Sayedee's father's name to be Yousuf Ali Shikdar.
The investigator took long in answering some questions and the judges had to intervene and the defence dispensed with the formality through a suggestion rather than a question.
It has been the prosecution's contention that the Jamaat executive council member used to be known by Shikdar before the Liberation War in 1971. It was only later that he began to call himself Sayedee.
The International Crimes Tribunal -1, set up to deal with crimes against humanity during 1971, has indicted Sayedee on 20 war crimes charges.
Defence counsel Mizanul Islam began his questioning with a sketch map (Mark 1) that mentioned Sayedee's father's name on it.
Having confirmed that the investigator mentioned Sayedee's father as Yousuf Ali Shikdar, defence counsel Mizanul Islam asked, "How did you come upon it?"
Helal Uddin: During the course of my investigation.
Defence counsel: Did you get a certificate from the Union Parishad Chairman where Sayedee's native village of Southkhali is located?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: How about the Upazila Chairman?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview anyone regarding his name in Sayedee's native village?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview any of Sayedee's relatives or in-laws?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you question any of his class-mates?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you secure any certificate in this regard from the Dhaka Ward Commissioner where Sayedee lives?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview anyone at the Ward Commissioner's office in this regard?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you have a look at his national ID card to ascertain the father's name?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check any of Sayedee's brothers' national IDs?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check the names in the voters' roll of 1970 elections?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check the names in the voters' roll of the last 2008 elections?
Investigator: No. But I collected some information regarding Sayedee from the local election office of Pirojpur.
Defence counsel: You did not collect that information through any seizure list, did you?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: When did you come by this information?
The investigator began to pore over his records but failed to answer the question even after about 10 minutes. Tribunal Chairman Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq wondered whether those items were exhibited.
The defence counsel clarified saying it was exhibit 151 with 36 pages.
Tribunal member Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed suggested if the defence could perhaps move on, to which Mizanul Islam says, "But that only suggests that it is not properly organised. Neither is it desirable that he will take such a long time to answer this question."
The counsel did move on, however. "There were no letters or memos to the local election office requesting this information?"
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: You did not write to them, nor did the election office send you a forwarding letter?
Investigator: The election officer personally attested the copies of documents.
Defence counsel: You have collected Sayedee's tax papers, holding tax papers, certificates and such other documents?
Investigator: Yes.
Defence counsel: All these mention Delwar Hossain Sayedee's father as Yousuf Sayedee, not Shikdar.
Investigator: Yes.
The defence counsel continued his questioning and established that the investigator had not produced Dr Sharafat Ali and another Abdur Razzak as witnesses although both knew Sayedee at the Sarsina Madrasa, his alma mater.
Mizanul Islam suggested that the two were not produced before the tribunal because then the investigator's false claim that Sayedee had been expelled from the madrasa would be revealed.
Helal Uddin refuted the suggestion.
Defence counsel: Did you collect the name of the principal of Sarsina Madrasa from 1957 when Sayedee took his Dakhil exams?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you find out how many students took the Dakhil exam in 1957 from that madrasa?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Do you have a list of how many of that year's Dakhil certificates have been given to the students?
Investigator: No.
Judge Zaheer Ahmed said, "But you do! You have exhibited those documents where it says which students collected their Dakhil certificates. I am a judge here, I can't really say much."
The investigator stuck to his answer.
He went on to deny the defence counsel's suggestion that he did not make Sayedee's classmates witnesses in the case because that would eventually prove his deposition was false.
The cross-examination is expected to continue the next day.
In the second half of the day, BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's defence counsel cross-examined the prosecution's third witness Shirajul Islam, aka Shiru Bangali which ended by the close of the day's proceedings.
Cross-examination of the fourth witness will begin on next Monday.
The tribunal also fixed Wednesday for a ruling on a pending issue over supplying certain religious books to Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam who was indicted by the tribunal on May 13 for war crimes including incitement, conspiracy and abetment.
The court had approved Azam's prayer and given an order to that effect mentioning four items to be given to the 89-year old former Jamaat chief. However, that order has yet to be complied with by the jail authorities.
Standing in the dock for the 20th day, ASP Mohammad Helal Uddin was mostly cross-examined on how he ascertained Sayedee's father's name to be Yousuf Ali Shikdar.
The investigator took long in answering some questions and the judges had to intervene and the defence dispensed with the formality through a suggestion rather than a question.
It has been the prosecution's contention that the Jamaat executive council member used to be known by Shikdar before the Liberation War in 1971. It was only later that he began to call himself Sayedee.
The International Crimes Tribunal -1, set up to deal with crimes against humanity during 1971, has indicted Sayedee on 20 war crimes charges.
Defence counsel Mizanul Islam began his questioning with a sketch map (Mark 1) that mentioned Sayedee's father's name on it.
Having confirmed that the investigator mentioned Sayedee's father as Yousuf Ali Shikdar, defence counsel Mizanul Islam asked, "How did you come upon it?"
Helal Uddin: During the course of my investigation.
Defence counsel: Did you get a certificate from the Union Parishad Chairman where Sayedee's native village of Southkhali is located?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: How about the Upazila Chairman?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview anyone regarding his name in Sayedee's native village?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview any of Sayedee's relatives or in-laws?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you question any of his class-mates?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you secure any certificate in this regard from the Dhaka Ward Commissioner where Sayedee lives?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you interview anyone at the Ward Commissioner's office in this regard?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you have a look at his national ID card to ascertain the father's name?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check any of Sayedee's brothers' national IDs?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check the names in the voters' roll of 1970 elections?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you check the names in the voters' roll of the last 2008 elections?
Investigator: No. But I collected some information regarding Sayedee from the local election office of Pirojpur.
Defence counsel: You did not collect that information through any seizure list, did you?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: When did you come by this information?
The investigator began to pore over his records but failed to answer the question even after about 10 minutes. Tribunal Chairman Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq wondered whether those items were exhibited.
The defence counsel clarified saying it was exhibit 151 with 36 pages.
Tribunal member Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed suggested if the defence could perhaps move on, to which Mizanul Islam says, "But that only suggests that it is not properly organised. Neither is it desirable that he will take such a long time to answer this question."
The counsel did move on, however. "There were no letters or memos to the local election office requesting this information?"
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: You did not write to them, nor did the election office send you a forwarding letter?
Investigator: The election officer personally attested the copies of documents.
Defence counsel: You have collected Sayedee's tax papers, holding tax papers, certificates and such other documents?
Investigator: Yes.
Defence counsel: All these mention Delwar Hossain Sayedee's father as Yousuf Sayedee, not Shikdar.
Investigator: Yes.
The defence counsel continued his questioning and established that the investigator had not produced Dr Sharafat Ali and another Abdur Razzak as witnesses although both knew Sayedee at the Sarsina Madrasa, his alma mater.
Mizanul Islam suggested that the two were not produced before the tribunal because then the investigator's false claim that Sayedee had been expelled from the madrasa would be revealed.
Helal Uddin refuted the suggestion.
Defence counsel: Did you collect the name of the principal of Sarsina Madrasa from 1957 when Sayedee took his Dakhil exams?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Did you find out how many students took the Dakhil exam in 1957 from that madrasa?
Investigator: No.
Defence counsel: Do you have a list of how many of that year's Dakhil certificates have been given to the students?
Investigator: No.
Judge Zaheer Ahmed said, "But you do! You have exhibited those documents where it says which students collected their Dakhil certificates. I am a judge here, I can't really say much."
The investigator stuck to his answer.
He went on to deny the defence counsel's suggestion that he did not make Sayedee's classmates witnesses in the case because that would eventually prove his deposition was false.
The cross-examination is expected to continue the next day.
In the second half of the day, BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's defence counsel cross-examined the prosecution's third witness Shirajul Islam, aka Shiru Bangali which ended by the close of the day's proceedings.
Cross-examination of the fourth witness will begin on next Monday.
The tribunal also fixed Wednesday for a ruling on a pending issue over supplying certain religious books to Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam who was indicted by the tribunal on May 13 for war crimes including incitement, conspiracy and abetment.
The court had approved Azam's prayer and given an order to that effect mentioning four items to be given to the 89-year old former Jamaat chief. However, that order has yet to be complied with by the jail authorities.
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