Witness 4: Iqbal Chowdhury
Testimony of Iqbal Chowdhury
2 Mar
My name is Iqbal Chowdhury. My current age is 71 years. My permanent address: [redacted] Brahmanbaria. Current address. [redacted] Dhaka.
I was a teacher and a businessman.
After the Awami League government came to power in 2009, I used to write on social media, especially Facebook, about the BDR massacre, the Shapla Square killings, the eviction of Khaleda Zia from her house, enforced disappearances, killings, murders, Indian hegemony, etc. As a result, on 7 May 2018, at around 11:00 PM, 7–8 men in plain clothes rang the calling bell at my then rented residence (House No. 720/A, Shopnoneel Housing, Haji Villa, Mohammadpur Beribadh, Three Road Junction). When my wife Laila Anjuman opened the door and saw those 7–8 men, they asked her whether I was at home. When I walked towards the door, they asked me whether my name was Iqbal Chowdhury. I confirmed. I asked them who they were. They said they were members of a law-enforcement agency and that I had to go with them to their office to provide some information.
I asked which force they were from and which office they were taking me to. In a threatening tone they said, “You cannot ask so many questions. We have come to take you. You must go with us.”
They took me down from the 5th floor using the staircase. My wife followed us downstairs screaming and crying. After walking a short distance from the building, I saw a white microbus with black-tinted windows. When they tried to put me into the vehicle, I saw two men wearing DB (Detective Branch) uniforms. When I refused to get into the vehicle, someone pressed a weapon against my back and pushed me inside.
After getting into the vehicle, they blindfolded me, put a cap (jum-tupi) on my head, and handcuffed me. Once the vehicle started moving, one of them told me that I would have to tell the truth in response to whatever they asked. Otherwise, they would kill me in a crossfire and dispose of my body.
After the vehicle had been moving for about 20–30 minutes, I heard the sound of a horn and also the sound of a gate opening. The vehicle then entered through that gate. After approximately two minutes, the door of the vehicle opened and two individuals held me by the hands and took me to a place where they made me sit.
One man came and asked my name. Another person measured my blood pressure. From there, they walked me for about one and a half minutes and made me stand in another place. Then they removed my blindfold, cap, and handcuffs.
They asked me to remove the clothes I was wearing, and I removed them. They then gave me an old lungi and an old t-shirt. I was placed inside a room of about 8–10 feet. There was a small wooden cot inside. On it, there was an oily, sticky pillow and an old dirty bedsheet.
The walls of the room had no plaster. The wall surfaces were rough and uneven. Directly above the cot, there was a single light, which remained on 24 hours a day. On the front wall, there was a large industrial exhaust fan, which made a loud noise. In front of the room, there was a metal-bar door. Beyond the bars, there was a wooden door.
They turned on the exhaust fan, closed both the metal-bar door and the wooden door, and left. I was terrified. I kept crying.I prayed to God. I felt like I was in a living grave. (At this point the witness became emotional).
5 Mar
I had fallen asleep lying on the bed. Two individuals entered my room and woke me up by pushing me. Upon waking up, I saw a black cloth in one person’s hand and handcuffs in the other’s. They blindfolded both my eyes with the black cloth and put handcuffs on both my hands. After taking me out of the room, turning first to the right and then to the left, they made me stand in a certain place. They removed my blindfold and the handcuffs from my hands. I could see a bathroom. There, they gave me a toothbrush and ‘Magic Tooth Powder’. While going to the bathroom, I heard the sound of the Azan (call to prayer) from several nearby mosques. Hearing ‘Assalatu khairum minan naum’ (prayer is better than sleep), I realized it was time for Fajr. After I washed my hands and face, they tied my hands and blindfolded my eyes again and brought me back to the previous room. I asked which direction the Qibla was. Once they pointed out the Qibla, I performed the Fajr prayer.
After about an hour, they opened the wooden door and slid a steel plate with two rotis and fried potatoes (aloo bhaja) under the iron-barred door. About an hour or an hour and a half after I ate, two people entered my room. They blindfolded me with four layers of black cloth, handcuffed both my hands, and the two of them held me, turned me to the right, and took me to a room where they made me sit on a wooden stool. The room was cold. It felt like an air-conditioned (AC) room. A little later, I heard the footsteps of three or four more people entering the room. I heard the sound of them pulling chairs and sitting down. I could sense that there was a table in front of me, and they placed something on it. One of them interrogated me about my personal details, such as my educational qualifications, age, etc. He wanted to know how and why I, as a civilian, was in contact with various army officers and police officials. In response, I said that I have relatives at various levels in the army, so it is normal for me to be in touch with them. Similarly, I also have relatives and acquaintances in the police force. They wanted to know why, despite being a Freedom Fighter, I write against the Awami League and India on Facebook. In reply, I said that I write against the inconsistent actions of the then Awami League government and Indian hegemonism in Bangladesh. He asked me why I am not involved with the Awami League despite being a Freedom Fighter. I replied that I do not belong to any political party. They asked me why I go to the Brahmanbaria court. They also asked why I go to different places and speak against the government. I replied that I have a civil lawsuit at the Brahmanbaria court. I added that I do not oppose the government, I criticize the government. After that, they took me back to my room. Based on the manner of speaking, articulation, and tone of the person who interrogated me, I could tell that he was an army officer.
Two days later, they took me to the cold room again in the same manner. That day, another person came and started interrogating me, addressing me disrespectfully [that is, using the demeaning pronoun ‘tui‘]. He said to me, ‘You are a freedom fighter; in which sector did you fight?’ In reply, I said that I had fought in Sector Two. He then said, ‘You took training from India, came back and fought, and now you speak against India itself!’ Saying this, he started beating me on both my knees, below the knees, and on my ankles with a thick stick. Under the severe blows, I kept crying and screaming, ‘Maa-go’ [meaning, ‘Oh, mother!’]. Then they brought me back to my room again. After returning to the room, when my eyes were unblindfolded, I saw that both my knees, the areas below my knees, and my ankles were swollen and had turned red. Then I lay down.
A while later, two men took me to the bathroom to bathe. I said to them, ‘It has been two days, and none of my relatives have contacted me. When will I be presented in court?’ In response, they said, ‘No one from the outside can come in here. Moreover, once someone comes in here, they cannot get out. The court is right here, and the trial happens right here.’
I was taken to that room for a third round of interrogation, and inhuman torture was inflicted upon me. A pair of pliers clips was attached to the ring finger of my left hand, another clip was attached to my right ear, and an electric shock was given. As a result, the nail of my left ring finger got partially damaged, and the sensitivity of my left hand decreased. Bringing up the issue of anti-Indian writings, they inflicted torture upon me. I heard one of those who tortured and interrogated me speaking in Hindi. He said, “Ye khatarnak admi hai. Bahut talent and intelligent hai” [This man is dangerous. He is very talented and intelligent]. At that point, I understood that the man might be Indian. After that, I was taken back to my room.
For two more days, I was similarly taken to that room, interrogated, and tortured. On the final day of interrogation, the person who had interrogated me on the first day came. He said, ‘We cannot release anyone from here without orders from the higher authorities.’ After that, I was returned to my room.
When Ramadan arrived, I was moved to another room. The room was 15 to 16 feet high. There was a light above. On the wall of the room, there was red color looking similar to blood and a number of distressful pleas written with pieces of brick. There was a Banglalink mobile number written there. Below the number, it was written: ‘If any brother sees this, please call this number and tell my mother that I have been brought from Rupganj and detained here.’ In the same way, days and months passed in this room.
While in the room, I could hear the sounds of trains, helicopters, and airplanes. One day at noon, I was given good food. The meal consisted of polao, beef bhuna, yogurt, and sweets. When I asked the guard about the food, he said, ‘Today is December 16th.’ About a week, or a week and a half after this, I heard election campaign announcements on the mic every evening. One day, I suddenly heard an announcement on the mic saying that ‘a resident of East Kafrul… has passed away’. Then I understood that I was under the control of DGFI, either near the cantonment or inside the cantonment. Because the DGFI headquarter is located in the Kafrul area.
After 15-16 days of this, in the afternoon after bathing, as I was exiting the bathroom, I saw an old acquaintance, Lieutenant Colonel Hasinur Rahman. We pretended not to recognize each other.
A few months later, during lunch, I was served a large piece of Catla fish bhuna (curry) and mango dal (lentil). When I asked the guard about the food, he said, ‘Today is April 14th, Bengali New Year.’
About seven or eight days later, at around 11:00 PM, two people entered my room. They blindfolded me with a black cloth and handcuffed both my hands. Pushing and shoving me, they sat me on a stool. A little time later, I heard the voice of the person who had interrogated me on the first and fifth days. He told me, ‘I have received orders from the highest authorities to drop you off at your house. However, the condition is that once you are outside, you cannot tell anyone—including your wife, son, or daughter—how you came here, who brought you, what you ate, what was done to you, etc.’ He further said, ‘If it is found out that you have told anyone, you will be brought back here and vanished [“Hapish” kore dewa hobe].’ He told me a fabricated story and ordered me to repeat it to everyone once outside. The gist of the story was: ‘I do not know or remember who took me, from where, when they took me, where they kept me, or what happened to me.’
Two days later, around 10:00 PM, two people entered my room. The two guards told me to wear the pants, shirt, and sandals they had given me when I was brought there. After I wore them, they blindfolded me, put a death row inmate’s cap [jom-tupi] on me, and handcuffed me. They then took me out of the room and put me in a car. After the car had been moving for 20 minutes, the person sitting next to the driver told me that I had to close my eyes, keep my head bowed, and count from 1 to 100 once they dropped me off. After driving a little longer, the car started moving from a lower elevation to a higher one. I thought it could be a bridge over a river. I wondered if they would really release me or kill me and throw me into the river. At one point, the car suddenly stopped. They untied my blindfold, took off the handcuffs and the inmate’s cap [jom-tupi], and quickly dropped me off. I got out of the car and started walking forward. I went to a ‘tong’ tea stall and asked, ‘Where is this place?’ They replied that it was Mohammadpur Shia Mosque Road. Then I recognized the area and walked home.
After returning home, I went to my rented apartment on the fifth floor. It was the 25th of April, 2019, around 11:30 or 12:00 at night. I pressed the calling bell there but got no answer, so I went downstairs. When the caretaker there asked me, I told him I was Mahdi’s father. The caretaker told me that my son had gone to his grandfather’s house, and my wife was upstairs. Then I went upstairs again, and after ringing the bell a few times, my wife opened the door. I saw my wife in a devastated, sick, and frail condition. I stayed at home for about a year and did not go anywhere out of fear.
Later, towards the end of 2020, I saw Colonel Hasinur Rahman’s status on Facebook and sent him a friend request. Then we talked on Messenger. He told me, ‘I saw you when I was going to the bathroom while detained in the JIC of the DGFI.’ At that moment, I became certain that the place was indeed the JIC of the DGFI.
Prosecution: What do you want now? Who do you want to be brought to justice?
Witness: While I was kept disappeared, my two elder sisters passed away. My younger brother died 40 days before I was released. I demand justice for the mental and physical torture inflicted upon me and for subjecting me to enforced disappearance. The then Head of Government Sheikh Hasina, Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the Director General of DGFI, and all the officers who were in charge of the JIC at that time, are the ones responsible for this. I demand they be brought to justice.
Prosecution: Did you give your deposition to the Investigating Officer?
Witness: The Investigating Officer has interrogated me.
8 Mar
Cross-examination on behalf of the accused Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui
Defence: Do you have any relatives serving in the Bangladesh Army?
PW: I had three relatives serving in the Bangladesh Army.
Defence: Can you state what ranks they held prior to 07.05.2018?
PW: I do not recall what ranks they held prior to 07.05.2018. I had no contact with them from 07.05.2018 to 25.04.2019. I do not know where they were posted. However, they retired before 2007.
Defence: Can you tell how many Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, and Lieutenant Colonels were serving in the Bangladesh Army before 11:00 PM on 07.05.2018?
PW: I do not know how many Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, and Lieutenant Colonels were serving in the Bangladesh Army before 11:00 PM on 07.05.2018.
Defence: Can you tell how many officers of those ranks were serving in the Bangladesh Army at 11:00 PM on 26.04.2019?
PW: I do not know how many officers of those ranks were serving in the Bangladesh Army at 11:00 PM on 26.04.2019.
Defence: Do you have specific knowledge of all postings, joinings, and promotions of Brigadier General Md. Mahbubur Rahman Siddiqui?
PW: I do not have such specific knowledge.
Defence: After boarding the microbus, was the “DB” marking written in English or Bangla?
PW: I do not recall whether it was in English or Bangla. However, CCTV footage up to the front of my residence shows the “DB” marking. There was no CCTV coverage inside the microbus.
Defence: Do you know that “DB” refers to the Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police?
PW: Yes, I know.
Defence: Was the “DB” marking on the front or back of their vests?
PW: It was on the back of their vests.
Defence: Did you notice the number or number plate of the microbus?
PW: No, I did not.
Defence: How many people were inside the microbus?
PW: My eyes were blindfolded, so I could not determine the number.
Defence: Did the hood placed on you extend up to your neck?
PW: Yes, it reached my neck. My eyes were also tied with a thick cloth. I could not see anything until it was removed.
Defence: How were you taken to the bathroom from the place you were held ?
PW: From the abduction, when I was taken to the bathroom from the place where I was held, my eyes were covered in the same way with a thick cloth and a hood was put on me. Later only my eyes were blindfolded.
Defence: No microbus has tinted windows.
PW: It is not true that the microbus had tinted windows.
Defence: Did you feel the microbus stopped at any traffic signal during the abduction?
PW: No, I did not feel the microbus stopped at any traffic signal during the abduction.
Defence: Could you estimate the age of the first person who asked your name?
PW: I estimated him to be around 40–45 years old cause my eyes were blindfolded.
Defence: Was there any air conditioning in the room where you were kept?
PW: No AC. However, the interrogation room was cool. I was interrogated there for 5 days.
Defence: How long were you interrogated each day?
PW: Approximately 30–35 minutes daily.
Defence: Were the interrogators of the same age?
PW: No, their ages varied.
Defence: Can you estimate their ages?
PW: First day: 40–45 years. Days 2–4: around 35–36 years. Day 5: sounded like the same person as the first day.
Defence: After your abduction, did you see the manufacturer’s name on the industrial exhaust fan in the room where you were held?
PW: After my abduction, I did not see the manufacturer’s name on the industrial exhaust fan in the room where I was held. The fan was made of metal, but I cannot specify which type of metal. I also cannot say whether the fan blades were galvanized.
Defence: You mentioned that those who took you allowed you to perform Fajr prayer after waking you up.
PW: The fan was so noisy that no outside sounds could be heard. Those who took me allowed me to perform Fajr prayer after waking me up at the time of Fajr.
Defence: In your statement, did you submit any evidence to the investigating officer regarding Colonel Hasinur Rahman’s Facebook status, friend requests, or conversations on Messenger?
PW: In my statement, I did not submit any evidence to the investigating officer regarding Colonel Hasinur Rahman’s Facebook status, friend requests, or conversations on Messenger.
Defence: Can you describe the route you were taken to the bathroom?
PW: After the abduction, from the first room where I was held ,to go to the bathroom,I was taken out of the first room, first to the right, then to the left, then to the right again. From the second room where I was held, to go to the bathroom, I had to go straight and then turn left. The distance from the room I was in to the interrogation room was approximately short.
Defence: How far was the bathroom?
PW: From the first room: 1.5–2 minutes. From the second room: less than 1 minute.
Defence: What was the distance to the interrogation room?
PW: From the first room the distance was more than 2 minutes. From the second room the distance was shorter.
Defence: Do you know who was the Director of JIC?
PW: No, I do not.
Defence: What could you perceive about the gate from the sound when it was opened?
PW: From the sound of the gate being opened during the abduction, I perceived that it was made of metal. However, I could not identify what type of metal it was.
Defence: Did you make any attempt to shout or seek help while being transported after the abduction?
PW: While being taken away in the microbus after the abduction, I heard the sounds of other vehicles. I did not shout because I was wearing a hood that covered my head.
Defence: Whenever your business faced a downturn, did you hold discussions to overcome that situation in the family?
PW: There was no loan money included in the capital of my business. Whenever my business faced a downturn, I occasionally held discussions in the family to overcome that situation.
Defence: You went into hiding during the downturn of your business.
PW: It is not true that I went into hiding during the downturn of my business.
Defence: No one abducted you.
PW: It is not true that no one abducted me.
Cross-examination on behalf of Sheikh Mohammad Sarwar Hossain
Defence: What’s your phone number?
[Prosecution objected to asking this question.This question concerns the personal information of the pw that can be leaked if answered which violates his privacy. The tribunal sustained the objection]
Defence: What is your Facebook ID name?
PW: Iqbal Chowdhury.
Defence: How many followers did you have on facebook before your abduction?
PW: More than 40,000.
Defence: Did you know Lt. Col. Hasinur Rahman?
PW: Yes. Lieutenant Colonel Hasinur Rahman was on my Facebook friend list. I got to know him from when I added him as a friend.
Defence: Who sent the friend request?
PW: I sent the friend request.
Defence: When did you send him a friend request?
PW: Around September/October 2020. I was released on 25 April 2019 and later communicated to him via Messenger.
Defence: Did you have any idea where you were detained?
PW: I assumed it was DGFI HQ in Kafrul.
Defence: Was this confirmed?
PW: Yes, Hasinur Rahman confirmed that I was in JIC.
Defence: How were you taken to the bathroom?
PW: My eyes were blindfolded each time. After finishing, on knocking the door, guards re-blindfolded me and took me back.
Defence: Did you face any allegations of terrorism, and were you asked any questions relating to terrorism during your interrogation?
PW: I did not face any allegations of terrorism. I was not asked any questions related to terrorism during my interrogation.
Defence: When were you last interrogated?
PW: Around the night of 23 April 2019.
Defence: Did you provide your Facebook content to the IO?
PW: No.
Defence: Were you involved in any civil case?
PW: Yes, at Brahmanbaria Judge Court.
Defence: You went into hiding due to that case.
PW: It is not true that I went into hiding due to that case.
Defence: You gave false testimony.
PW: It is not true that I gave false testimony.
Cross-examination on behalf of Sheikh Hasina
The aforesaid cross examination has been adopted
Defence: Did you dislike Sheikh Hasina?
PW: I disliked the state activities of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Defence: You implicated her due to that dislike.
PW: It is not true that I implicated her due to that dislike.
Defence: She is not involved in any crime.
PW: It is not true that she is not involved in any crime.
Defence: You gave false evidence.
PW: It is not true that I gave false evidence.
Defence: What were you wearing before abduction?
PW: Light khaki pants and a light green shirt.
Defence: What were you given afterwards?
PW: A printed lungi and a black T-shirt. I do not remember the pillow color.
Defence: Can you describe the door frame of the room where you were detained?
PW: The room where I was kept had an iron spiked door and a wooden door in front of it, both fitted within a single frame.
Defence: Do you remember the case number of the civil case at the Brahmanbaria Judge Court?
PW: I do not remember the number of the civil case at the Brahmanbaria Judge Court.
Defence: You gave false evidence.
PW: It is not true that I gave false evidence.
1 April
The state defence counsel for Brigadier General Ahmed Mazhar Siddiqui could not be present due to a personal matter. His Junior counsel Ashikur Rahman prayed on behalf of him for time for the cross examination on behalf of Brigadier General Ahmed Mazhar Siddiqui. And the tribunal has set time on 8 April 2026.
Cross-examination on behalf of Major Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui, Akbar Hossain, Saiful Abedin, Saiful Islam, and Tabrez Shams Chowdhury
Defence: When were you abducted?
PW: On 7 May 2018 at around 11:30 p.m., I was abducted from my residence.
Defence: Were you blindfolded at the time of being taken from your house?
PW: I was not blindfolded at my house; rather, I was blindfolded after being placed in the microbus.
Defence: Did the persons who abducted you have any writing on their attire?
PW: The persons who abducted me had “DB” written on their vests.
Defence: Were you aware of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies?
PW: Yes, I was aware of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, and I used to write about them on Facebook.
Defence: Since when have you known Lt. Colonel Hasinur Rahman?
PW: I have known Lt. Colonel Hasinur Rahman since 2014.
Defence: During your detention, the accused Akbar, Saiful Alam, and Tabrez Shams were not DGs.
PW: I do not know about that.
Defence: No member of DGFI abducted you.
PW: It is not true that no member of DGFI abducted me.
Defence: They did not torture you.
PW: It is not true that they did not torture me.
Defence: No personnel of DGFI detained you.
PW: It is not true that no personnel of DGFI detained me.
Defence: You have given false testimony regarding my clients.
PW: It is not true that I have given false testimony .
8 April
Cross-Examination on behalf of Ahmed Tanvir Mazhar Siddiqui
(Previous two cross-examinations adopted.)
Defence: Are you receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease?
PW: I am not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease. No doctor has diagnosed me with Parkinson’s disease. I do not have any illness.
Defence: Did you see Hasinur while you were in detention?
PW: Yes.
Defence: Did you contact Hasinur’s family after your release?
PW: I did not contact Hasinur’s family after my release.
Defence: You did not know Hasinur.
PW: It is not true that I did not know Hasinur.
Defence: You did not contact his family for that reason (because you did not know him and see him).
PW: It is not true that I did not fail to contact his family for that reason.
Defence: You did not see Colonel Hasinur.
PW: It is not true that I did not see Colonel Hasinur.
Defence: The persons who arrested you from your house and the persons who interrogated you were not the same individuals.
PW: It is true that the persons who arrested me from my house and the persons who interrogated me were not the same individuals.
Defence: Were you able to identify any of them?
PW: My eyes were blindfolded with a black cloth, and I could not see anything.
Defence: While in detention, you did not know for certain where you were being held.
PW: It is true that while in detention, I did not know for certain where I was being held.
Defence: In your statement, you said that before contacting Hasinur after your release, you did not know about JIC.
PW: Correct.
Defence: Did you provide the Investigating Officer with any information regarding your communication with Lieutenant Colonel Hasinur on Facebook?
PW: I did not provide the Investigating Officer with any information regarding my communication with Lieutenant Colonel Hasinur on Facebook.
Defence: Not all freedom fighters were supporters of the Awami League.
PW: It is true that not all freedom fighters were supporters of the Awami League.
Tribunal: The question was rejected.
Defence: Besides you, many others also wrote on social media criticizing the activities of the government, did they not?
PW: Yes, besides me, many others also wrote on social media criticizing the activities of the government.
Defence: Do you know anyone other than you being detained because of such criticism?
PW: Yes, many others besides me are being detained because of such criticism.
Defence: Do you know the names of any of them?
PW: I know the names of a few people, including Humayun Kabir, Rezaul Shovon, Wasim, Iftekhar, and many others.
Defence: Can you say whether any of them filed a case regarding their detention?
PW: Humayun Kabir filed a case regarding his detention, and the investigating agency investigated that case. I do not know whether the others filed any case.
Defence: You have testified as instructed by the prosecution.
PW: It is not true that I testified as instructed by the prosecution.
Defence: Your claim that you were detained at JIC is false.
PW: It is not true that my statement that I was detained at JIC is false.
Defence: You were in hiding due to personal, business, and litigation-related reasons.
PW: It is not true that I was in hiding due to personal, business, and litigation-related reasons.