For his support to the independence struggle of Bangladesh and involvement with the Awami League, tailor Hazrat Ali Lashkar and his family had faced barbarism of Mirpurer Koshai (Butcher of Mirpur) Abdul Quader Molla and his accomplices, who collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces, on March 26, 1971.
The lone survivor of the family, Momena Begum, in her deposition at the International Crimes Tribunal elaborated the events how her father, pregnant mother, two-year-old brother and three sisters had been tortured and killed at their house in Mirpur that evening the day after “operation searchlight,” carried out by the Pakistani army.
Even though the tribunal had sentenced Quader Molla to life-term imprisonment for the murders under charge six, the Appellate Division in its judgement overruled the sentence and awarded the Jamaat-e-Islami leader death penalty.
Momena, who had also been tortured that day, testified at the tribunal 2 in camera on July 17 last year in presence of counsels from both sides.
Then aged around 12, Momena said the family had lived at Kalapani of Mirpur. “My father supported the Awami League and was fond of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During the Liberation War, my mother was pregnant.”
Just before sunset on March 26, chased by non-Bangalee Bihari people along with Akter Gunda (criminal) “my father was running towards the house and said ‘Quader Molla will kill me.’
He entered the house and closed the door. My mother, brother and three sisters all were present at the house that time. I along with my sister Amena hid under a bed as my father asked us to do so.
“The Biharis along with Quader Molla came and [someone said] ‘you bastard, open the door or I will throw bomb.’”
After some time, “mother opened the door with a knife in her hand. But they shot her just after opening the door. As my father went to hold my mother, Quader Molla pulled his collar saying, ‘Suorer bachcha, will you support Awami League again? Will you want to go with Bangabandhu?’”
Momena said even though Hazrat Ali apologised, they killed her mother and sisters Khodeja and Taslima. “They killed my two-year-old brother Babu by throwing him on the floor. As Amena shouted hearing Babu crying, they dragged Amena from under the bed, tore partly her dress and tortured her physically.”
Then they started searching the house by stabbing the walls and furniture to see whether there was anybody else hiding in the room or not.
“At one point, a stab hit my left leg injuring me critically. Then they pulled me out. I cannot say anything as I fainted. And when I regained conscious, it was mid night. I was not able to walk for the pain in my abdomen while my pants were wet and ragged.
“Then I went to house of a neighbour and asked to open the door for help. They treated my leg and gave me a dress. They looked after me the next day too and arranged some medicine.
“After giving me primary treatment, they informed my father-in-law who later came and took me with him. They [in-law’s family] also arranged my treatment and my mother-in-law kept me in her arms. I was mad for my parents,” she told the tribunal.
After the independence, Momena said she had failed to find the bodies of her parents and siblings. “I could not find anybody at the house except for bad smell, very bad smell.”
The witness said she later heard from Kamal Khan, who used to serve freedom fighters with tea, and her uncle Akkas Molla that all the family members had been murdered.
Momena told the tribunal: “My parents, brother and sisters were killed in front of my eyes. How can I forget? I was almost mad. [Now] although I am alive, it feels like I am dead.”
Identifying Quader Molla in the dock, she said he had been younger at that time and used to wear panjabi.” Momena then told the tribunal: “I want to ask him where my father is.”