The Detective Branch (DB) of Police on Sunday submitted the charge sheet of a case lodged against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman for calling Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” (friend of Pakistan).
DB Assistant Commissioner, Jewel Rana of Detective Branch-Motijheel Zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted the charge sheet to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman Nur.
The charge sheet says that they have found truth of seditious allegations against Tarique Rahman. The court received the report and fixed November 7 to hear on whether the charge sheet will be accepted on not.
Before submitting the charge sheet, the Investigation Officer of the case got approval from the Home Ministry and that is mandatory for bringing sedition charges against anybody.
On October 19, last year, Advocate Moshiur Rahman Malek, President of Bangabandhu Foundation, lodged the case with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. After hearing the submission of the complainant, the court asked police to submit a probe report on the issue with approval from the Home Ministry.
In the complaint, Moshiur Malek alleged that Tarique Rahman called Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” at York Hall in East London at a discussion on September 29, last year.
“Sheikh Mujibur Rahman cannot be Father of the Nation. He returned to the country with a Pakistani passport. Someone who accepts Pakistani passport even after Bangladesh’s independence is a citizen of that country according to law,” the BNP leader said on the day.
“One day it will have to be explained how a Pakistani citizen became a President or Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Tarique Rahmnan cautioned.
The BNP leader has been staying in London, who faces over 18 criminal cases on different charges including the grenade attack of August 21. Of the cases, trial of August 21 grenade attack case , Zia Charitable Trust and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases have been going on in separate courts in his absence. – Special Correspondent
