"> Convicted war criminal Chowdhury Mueen Uddin is seen next to Prince Charles in this photo taken on January 24, 2003. Mueen fled to England after the Liberation War and made a name for himself as a community leader there. But, right after the war, papers here appealed to the nation to help capture this killer along with his cohort Ashrafuzzaman. Photo: FileWhen it was almost over for the Pakistani occupation army and their local collaborators in the Liberation War, the duo was entrusted with executing a heinous plan to cripple Bangladesh intellectually.

Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan were such staunch supporters of the enemy that they did not hesitate to abduct and kill their teachers.

In a single day, they had picked up nine Dhaka University teachers at gunpoint, and later killed them.

These two students-turned-killers were members of the high command of Al-Badr, an auxiliary force to Pakistan occupation army that was mainly responsible for planned killing.

Mueen, a student of DU Bangla department during the war, was the operation-in-charge while Ashraf, then a student of DU Islamic Studies, the chief executor of the killing mission.

Yesterday, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 handed the two death penalty on 11 charges, at least three of which are related to the abduction and killing of nine DU teachers.

The victim professors are Munier Chowdhury, Mofazzal Haidar Choudhury, Giasuddin Ahmed, Rashidul Hasan, Anwar Pasha, Abdul Khayer, Santosh Chandra Bhattacharyya, Serajul Haque Khan and Faizul Mahi.

Mueen, who was also a journalist at that time, played a key role in killing at least six journalists -- Serajuddin Hossain, Syed Najmul Haque, ANM Golam Mostafa, Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Selina Pervin and Shahidullah Kaiser.

According to the sixth charge, between 8:00am and 9:45am on December 13, 1971, six to seven armed Al-Badr men led by Mueen and Ashraf abducted professors Giasuddin Ahmed, Rashidul Hasan, Anwar Pasha, Abdul Khayer, Santosh Chandra Bhattacharyya, Serajul Haque Khan and Faizul Mahi, and DU physician Mohammad from their houses on DU campus.

The victims were brought to Mirpur killing field in Dhaka by a microbus and shot dead. After the independence, bodies of the teachers were recovered from that field.

The charge also reads that Prof Giasuddin was found listed as one of the targets of intellectual killing mission in a diary recovered from the house of Ashraf after December 16, 1971, the victory day.

At least six witnesses testified in support of the charge, by giving vivid description of the abductions and killing.

Masuda Banu Ratna, niece of Prof Giasuddin and the first prosecution witness, testified that as she was involved in student politics she could recognise Mueen and Ashraf when they had gone to her uncle's house.

Quoting the driver of the microbus used by Al-Badr to pick up intellectuals, Enamul Huq Khan, who witnessed his father Serajul Haque Khan's abduction, said Ashraf had shot dead the brightest sons of the nation in Mirpur.

According to another charge, on December 14, 1971, seven to eight Al-Badr men led by Mueen and Ashraf abducted Prof Mofazzal Haider Choudhury from his house.

Prof Mofazzal could recognise Mueen, as Mueen was a student of his department, when Mofazzal's younger brother removed the scarf from Mueen's face. Prof Mofazzal's name was also on the list in Ashraf's diary.

Iftekhar Haider Chowdhury, nephew of Prof Mofazzal, testified that Mueen had assured the family that his teacher would return after meeting a Pakistani captain. Prof Mofazzal never returned.

Quoting Mofazzal's wife Syeda Manowara Chowdhury, Prof Anisuzzaman, who was also a teacher of DU Bangla department, gave almost the same testimony.

Another charge says that on instructions from Mueen and Ashraf, three to four armed Al-Badr men abducted Prof Munier Chowdhury of DU Bangla department from his Central Road house between 1:00pm and 1:30pm on December 14, 1971.

By an EPRTC minibus, he was taken to an unknown place and killed. Prof Munier's body could not be traced. His name was also listed in Ashraf's diary.

Prof Munier's son Asif Munier testified that Al-Badr leaders Mueen and Ashraf had been directly involved in the abduction and killing of his father.

Delwar Hossain, the only survivor of Rayerbazar massacre who was detained and tortured at the Al-Badr headquarters in Mohammadpur, testified that Prof Munier and Prof Mofazzal had been tortured before his eyes.

He said Mueen and Ashraf had been present at Rayerbazar killing ground where the killing spree continued until 4:00am of December 15, 1971.