There is no legal bar in arresting former minister and current MP Abdul Latif Siddique, according to a statement made by the Speaker of the parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
She said: “There is no legal obligation to arrest any lawmaker of the House from anywhere except the parliament area.
“In this case, there is no need for prior permission of the speaker of the parliament.”
Speaker made the comment at a press conference while replying to a question from a reporter at his office in the parliament on Monday evening.
Earlier in the morning, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had said the law enforcers cannot arrest any lawmaker without the permission of the speaker of the parliament.
MP Latif Siddique returned home on Sunday amid arrest warrants. A total of four arrest warrants were so far issued by different Dhaka courts against Latif Siddique for hurting the countrymen’s religious sentiment by making controversial remarks on Hajj and Tablig.
Hefazat-e Islam has threatened to observe a countrywide daylong shutdown if former minister Latif is not arrested by Wednesday. The Chittagong-based Islamist outfit will stage demonstrations across the country on Tuesday.
Another organisation ‘Islami Andolan Bangladesh' issued an ultimatum on Monday, demanding the arrest of former minister Siddique accused of hurting religious sentiments.
On September 28, during a programme in the USA, Latif made derogatory comments on Hajj, Ijtema and PM’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Due to his derogatory comments, he was later dropped from the cabinet and the Awami League.
