Hummam Quader Chowdhury- Photo Collected : Facebook

Dhaka, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) - Hummam Quader Chowdhury, son of late BNP leader 
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, today demanded maximum punishment for those 
responsible for his enforced disappearance and torture at the Joint 
Interrogation Cell (JIC) during the previous Awami League (AL) government.

Hummam appeared as the first prosecution witness (PW) at the International 
Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 and submitted a detailed testimony, narrating how he 
was picked up by plainclothes security personnel on August 4, 2026, from his 
car in front of Bongshal Police Station in the capital and subjected to 
brutal torture for seven months in an undisclosed location.

He said he was regularly interrogated by unidentified men and subjected to 
various tortures, including chemical injections in his veins.

"After the injections, I felt as if my whole body was on fire. Because of the 
repeated injections, my hand turned black. They pushed chemicals into my 
veins intravenously," he added.

Hummam further added that he heard people speaking in Hindi outside his room 
during his confinement.

After his testimony, the tribunal adjourned the hearing until January 25, 
when the defence is scheduled to cross-examine him.

Earlier, the prosecution in its opening statement urged the court to set a 
clear precedent of accountability to ensure that the heinous crime of 
enforced disappearance never occurs again in Bangladesh.

"The prosecution believes that the trial of these unprecedented and heinous 
crimes in Bangladesh's history is not merely about addressing accountability 
for past crimes, but also about making a solemn commitment to the future," 
Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said.