The killing of Nutan Chandra Singha was one of the dark chapters in the glorious history of the Liberation War.
War criminal Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, instructed by his father Convention Muslim League Leader Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, killed the eminent personality from Chittagong.
Discussing evidence and witness depositions, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 in its verdict that handed down death sentence to the BNP leader on Tuesday also observed why Nutan Chandra was targeted.
The judgement said Nutan Chandra was a very popular man, especially in his hometown Chittagong, for his tremendous contributions to society. He had established many institutions including schools, colleges and the famous Kundeshwari Oushodhalaya, an herbal medicine centre.
The judgement also said his contributions, especially to the Hindu communities, made him even more popular.
In any political or social event, Nutan Chandra’s opinions used to be a vital factor which, the judgement said, may have been reflected in the national elections of 1970 in which Salahuddin Quader’s father was defeated. This political vendetta might have led to the killing of Nutan Chandra by the accused and others.
It was evidenced on record that after the Liberation War began on March 25, 1971, many pro-liberation people, including around 50 university teachers and their family members, took shelter in the schools, colleges and other buildings set up by Nutan Chandra.
According to court documents, from 9:30am-10am on April 13, 1971, after killing the Hindus at Madhya Gohira, the war criminal guided the Pakistani soldiers to Kundeshwari and entered the household of Nutan Chandra.
At that time, he was performing his prayers, but was dragged out of the temple on his premises.
According to the formal charges, Salahuddin Quader told the Pakistani soldiers that his father Fazlul Quader had instructed him to kill Nutan Chandra. The soliders then opened fire on Nutan and he fell to the ground.
Salahuddin Quader then shot him to make sure that he was dead, and left.
