A sedition charge petition was filed against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday for calling Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” (friend of Pakistan) and spreading distorted information about the Liberation War.
Bangabandhu Foundation’s President Moshiur Malik filed the petition with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) court under section 123 (A) of the Penal Code.
After hearing the petition, Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Asaduzzaman Nur ordered the Detective Branch of police to submit a probe report on it by October 30.
The court also asked the petitioner to secure permission from the Home Ministry to file the case as it is mandatory for anybody for filing sedition charges.
According to the petition, Tarique at a discussion on 29 September in London said: “Sheikh Mujib is not Bangabandhu, rather he is Pakbandhu. He cannot be the Father of the Nation, he is a killer.
“Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had considered the Pakistani occupation forces safe instead of hundreds of thousands of his countrymen for him on March 25, 1971.”
In the petition, the petitioner accused Tarique of engaging in a campaign against Bangladesh’s history, its Liberation War and Bangabandhu’s role for making such comments.
On September 8, a defamation charge petition was filed with a Dhaka court against Tarique and BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for making derogatory comments against Bangabandhu and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The court then asked Paltan police to submit a report on the defamation charge today.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique has been 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 and the rest are stayed.
