A Tk1,000 crore defamation case has been filed against ruling party lawmaker MA Latif for distorting the image of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on billboards and festoons set up in Patenga and Bandar areas of the port city.
Saifuddin Ahmed, an activist of Jubo League, filed the case with the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam on Thursday.
Ibrahim Hossain Chowdhury Babul, the plaintiff counsel, said the case was filed under section 501 and 502 of Penal Code stating that the banners and festoons hung by the lawmaker in the port city defamed Bangabandhu.
“The magistrate took the case into cognizance and asked the police to submit a report after investigation,” said the lawyer.
It may be mentioned that the images of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were installed on billboards in Chittagong city by ruling Awami League lawmaker MA Latif during the recent visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the premier port city on January 30 of this year.
The billboards showed a photograph of the Father of the Nation. However, the posture, attire and shoes did not match with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
It is alleged that MA Latif MP superimposed just the head of Bangabandhu on the portrait of himself as the body did not resemble that of Bangabandhu.
After the image of the Father of the Nation went into viral on social networking sites, leaders and activists of the ruling party Awami League and its front organisation have been staging demonstration against the lawmaker.
They demanded exemplary punishment and cancellation of parliament membership of MA Latif for distorting the image of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
They also termed MA Latif as a Trojan horse in Awami League and said the nation would never brook such defamation of the Father of the Nation.
The ruling party men also alleged that MA Latif was an agent of Jamaat-Shibir who was never associated with Awami League. He managed to win party’s favour in the parliament election in 2008 and then became a lawmaker. The image of the Awami League was in jeopardy due to MA Latif MP as he put the ruling party in embarrassing situation on several occasions by his activities.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
