As furore continues over BNP leader Tarique Rahman’s recent remarks on Bangabandhu, separate defamation cases have seen a Dhaka court issue an arrest warrant against the BNP senior vice-chairman, while courts in Chittagong, Barisal, Comilla and Meherpur have also summoned him.
A Dhaka court yesterday issued an arrest warrant against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman in a defamation case filed for calling Bangabandhu a “razakar.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman took a defamation case into cognisance and issued the arrest warrant after Alhaj Monir Hossain Molla, a Chhatra League leader of Rupnagar thana, filed a defamation case against Tarique for his remarks on Bangabandhu. The court also fixed January 20 for the police station concerned to submit a warrant execution report.
On December 15, Tarique called Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a “razakar,” blaming him for accepting Yahya Khan as the erstwhile Pakistan’s president and going for the national and provincial elections under Yahya’s conditions. He also claimed that Bangabandhu never wanted an independent Bangladesh but a combined Pakistan.
Tarique has been in London since September 2008 on medical grounds after securing parole in various cases.
Meanwhile, the court of Chittagong District Judicial Magistrate Farzana Yasmin yesterday summoned Tarique in a defamation case lodged by the Chhatra League’s Chandanaish upazila unit leader Mizanur Rahman, reports our Chittagong correspondent.
In Barisal, the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Nusrat Jahan accepted two defamation cases and summoned the BNP senior vice-chairman to appear before it on March 11 next year. Nahid Serniabad, joint convener of Chhatra League’s Brojomohun College unit; and Advocate Kaium Khan Kawsar, convening committee member of Awami Jubo League’s Barisal city unit, lodged the cases separately, says our Barisal correspondent.
In Comilla, three separate courts of Senior Judicial Magistrates Nasrin Jahan, Afroza Jesmin Koli and Mithila Islam – yesterday summoned Tarique to appear before the courts on different dates in January next year. The courts issued the orders after taking into cognisance separate defamation cases against Tarique – filed by Chhatra League leaders Kamal Parvez, Hossain Ahmed and Mozammel Haque, reports our Comilla correspondent.
In Meherpur, Senior Judicial Magistrate Abdullah Al-Mamun took a defamation case against Tarique into cognisance and summoned the BNP leader, after district Chhatra League President Bariqul Islam Lijon had filed the case in the afternoon.
Our correspondents in Barguna and Jessore also said cases were filed against Tarique with their local courts.
Barguna district Chhatra League President Rubayet Adnan Anik filed a case charging Tarique with defamation and sedition – with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Noman Moeen Uddin, while Jessore Senior Judicial Magistrate Maruf Ahmed accepted a defamation case filed by district Awami League leader Khoyrat Hossain. However, two other similar petitions by local Awami League leaders in Jessore were not accepted by the court.
Meanwhile in Gaibandha, the local Muktijoddha Sangsad formed a human chain and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner, demanding Tarique’s punishment. The Chuadanga unit of Muktijoddha Sangsad – a platform of freedom fighters – also formed a human chain and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Home Ministry.
On the other hand, a press conference in Sylhet also declared BNP leader Tarique a persona non grata in Sylhet as well as in the United Kingdom.
