In the latest of a series of defamation and sedition cases filed against him, BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday was issued another arrest warrant by a Dhaka court for calling Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a “razakar.”
In Chittagong, a sedition case was filed yesterday against the BNP chairperson’s son for remarks he made about the country’s founding father and the Liberation War of 1971.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Waez Kuruni Khan Chowdhury, took cognisance of the defamation case filed by the Awami Hawkers’ League General Secretary Abdul Mannan and issued the arrest warrant.
The complainant filed the case against Tarique, the BNP’s Adviser to the Chairperson Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, International Affairs Secretary Majedur Rahman and 500 unknown others.
Another Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against Tarique Rahman on the same charge on December 18 while another Metropolitan Magistrate issued a warrant for his arrest in a defamation case on December 10.
In Chittagong yesterday the widely condemned remarks resulted in the filing of a sedition case against Tarique.
A former Bangladesh Chhatra League upazila unit general secretary, Shihab Ul Haque, on behalf of the BCL’s district south unit, lodged a sedition case against Tarique before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury.
The court ordered the Kotwali police station officer-in-charge to look into the matter and submit a report within 10 days, Chittagong Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner (Prosecution) Nirmolendu Bikash Chakrabarty said.
Plaintiff’s counsel, Advocate Rony Kumar Dey, said his client claimed Tarique, in the deliverance of derogatory speeches, had plotted against the country’s birth and sovereignty and lodged the case under section 123(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On December 18, the BCL Chittagong city unit General Secretary Nurul Azim Rony lodged a case before the same court with the same charge.
Case statements say that while addressing a programme in London on December 15, Tarique Rahman called Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a “razakar,” a term meaning traitor.
Tarique said Sheikh Mujib had accepted Yahya Khan as Pakistan’s president and his conditions in participating in the general election of December 1970.
He claimed Sheikh Mujib, the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, never wanted an independent Bangladesh, but a combined Pakistan.
Tarique has been living in London since September 11, 2008 on medical grounds, after securing parole in various cases.
He faces 14 charges, of which four, including the August 21 grenade attack case, are on trial. The rest were stayed.