Dhaka, Jan 20 – A Dhaka court on Sunday issued an arrest warrant against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, in a case filed for allegedly making false and instigative remarks on religious issues involving the ruling Awami League. Magistrate Muhammad Jasimuddin the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka passed the order after complainant AB Siddique submitted a petition for the arrest of the already imprisoned BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The court also directed the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shahbagh Police Station to submit the report on the execution of the arrest warrant by February 18.
On October 21, 2014, AB Siddique, President of pro-Awami League organization Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, filed a case against Khaleda Zia under section 153 (A) and 295 (A) of the Penal Code with the CMM Court of Dhaka.
The plaintiff accused Khaleda Zia of making “false, derogatory and instigative” remarks on religious issues involving Awami League while addressing a function marking Shubha Bijoya at Dhaka’s Institute of Engineers on October 14, 2014.
“Khaleda in her remarks said that secularism is Awami League’s mask and it is a party of atheists that hurt the religious sentiment of the people of the country,” AB Siddique commented.
After recording the case statement of the complainant, then Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mustafizur Rahman directed Shahbagh police to investigate the case and submit a probe report.
On June 30 last year, Shahbagh Police Station OC (investigation) Zafar Ali Biswas submitted the probe report to the court, mentioning that he found the allegations against Khaleda Zia to be true. – Special Correspondent
