A court here on Tuesday granted bail to detained BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case filed for his ‘derogatory’ comments about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Metropolitan Magistrate Ataul Haque passed the order after hearing the bail petition.
On September 8 last year, the defamation case was filed against BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and Fakhrul for their disparaging comments about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
AB Siddique, president of pro-Awami League organisation ‘Bangladesh Jono Netri Parishad’, filed the case with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Erfanullah.
The complainant alleged that at a discussion on September 2, Tarique, who has been staying in London since 2008, claimed Ziaur Rahman as the country’s first president.
He further alleged that on September 5, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ended his March 7, 1971 speech saying ‘Joy Pakistan’ and he did not make any announcement for independence, which was published in different national dailies on the following day.
“Both (Tarique and Fakhrul) have distorted the history and tarnished the image of Bangabandhu by making the comments,” Siddique said in his complaint.
On January 20 this year, a CMM court issued a warrant for the arrest of the two top BNP leaders.
On January 6, plain-clothes police picked Fakhrul up as he came out of the Jatiya Press Club following BNP’s announcement to observe January-5 as ‘Democracy Killing Day’. The BNP leader is now facing 79 cases.
Source: UNB
