Prosecution distorts Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech: Defence counsel
Dhaka, May 9 (UNB) -The defence counsel for war crimes accused Delwar Hossain Sayedee on Wednesday unmasked the know-how of the investigation officer as he had submitted to the International Crimes Tribunal a ‘messy’ and ‘muddled’ video footage of the mass-awakening speech delivered on March 7 in 1971 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
After screening the video footage during the cross-examination, investigation officer ASP M Helal Uddin, the last prosecution witness, admitting the fact said he had collected the same from the Bangladesh Film Archive, an institution under the Ministry of Information.
Replying to a volley of defence lawyer’s questions, the IO said he did not collect any information in the untidy matter. “There might have been some editing since the video footage showed some missing words, sentences and even disorderly placed paragraphs from the original text of the Bangabandhu.”
Asked by defence counsel Mizanul Islam whether the historic speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered on March 7 in 1971 had been incorporated in the 5th schedule of the 15th amendment of the Constitution, IO Helal said he had no knowledge about it.
Helal further said he also did not collect any information whether the video footage of the Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech submitted to the tribunal as material exhibit and the Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech incorporated in the Constitution’s 15th amendment were identical.
The defence counsel told the three-member tribunal headed by Justice M Nizamul Huq that he put forward the question as the prosecution did not place the material exhibit correctly terming it redundant.
The defence counsel further said there had been inconsistencies between the March 7 speech of the Bangabandhu incorporated in the Constitution and the March 7 video footage of Bangabandhu submitted to the tribunal.
At this stage, the prosecution lawyers raised objection the way the defence counsel conducted the cross-examination of the IO. But the tribunal turned down the plea of the prosecution lawyers and asked the defence counsel to proceed.
The defence counsel proved his plea of inconsistencies over the March 7 speech of the Bangabandhu after the screening of the prosecution- submitted video footage.
About another material exhibit submitted to the tribunal on the news reel of NBC and CBS aired during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the IO told the tribunal that he had collected those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the cross-examination, the IO said he could not tell as to how the movie file on war crimes accused Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami made its way into the NBC new reel. “Even I didn’t look into it.”
The cross-examination of the IO, which remained inconclusive for the fifth day, resumes Thursday.
After screening the video footage during the cross-examination, investigation officer ASP M Helal Uddin, the last prosecution witness, admitting the fact said he had collected the same from the Bangladesh Film Archive, an institution under the Ministry of Information.
Replying to a volley of defence lawyer’s questions, the IO said he did not collect any information in the untidy matter. “There might have been some editing since the video footage showed some missing words, sentences and even disorderly placed paragraphs from the original text of the Bangabandhu.”
Asked by defence counsel Mizanul Islam whether the historic speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered on March 7 in 1971 had been incorporated in the 5th schedule of the 15th amendment of the Constitution, IO Helal said he had no knowledge about it.
Helal further said he also did not collect any information whether the video footage of the Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech submitted to the tribunal as material exhibit and the Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech incorporated in the Constitution’s 15th amendment were identical.
The defence counsel told the three-member tribunal headed by Justice M Nizamul Huq that he put forward the question as the prosecution did not place the material exhibit correctly terming it redundant.
The defence counsel further said there had been inconsistencies between the March 7 speech of the Bangabandhu incorporated in the Constitution and the March 7 video footage of Bangabandhu submitted to the tribunal.
At this stage, the prosecution lawyers raised objection the way the defence counsel conducted the cross-examination of the IO. But the tribunal turned down the plea of the prosecution lawyers and asked the defence counsel to proceed.
The defence counsel proved his plea of inconsistencies over the March 7 speech of the Bangabandhu after the screening of the prosecution- submitted video footage.
About another material exhibit submitted to the tribunal on the news reel of NBC and CBS aired during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the IO told the tribunal that he had collected those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the cross-examination, the IO said he could not tell as to how the movie file on war crimes accused Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami made its way into the NBC new reel. “Even I didn’t look into it.”
The cross-examination of the IO, which remained inconclusive for the fifth day, resumes Thursday.
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