‘Negative portrayal of Zia’: Lawsuit against Tarana Halim dismissed

A Dhaka court today summarily dismissed the lawsuit filed against Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote president and former state minister for post and telecommunications Tarana Halim and four others for "negatively portraying" Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder and late president Ziaur Rahman in a drama titled "Indemnity".

Judge Md Ashikuzzaman of Senior Assistant Judge's Court-2 in Dhaka passed the order this noon, Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder confirmed to The Daily Star.

Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Padak winner writer, poet and journalist Abu Saleh yesterday (Monday) filed the lawsuit for presenting Ziaur Rahman as a "controversial character" with misinformation in the drama "Indemnity".

Actor Sazu Khadem, playwright Mannan Hira, Noakhali-2 constituency lawmaker and RTV chairman Morshed Alam, and the information secretary were also made defendants in the lawsuit.

"Indemnity" has recently been aired on different television channels, YouTube and Facebook.

The plot of the drama was the enactment of the controversial Indemnity Act which gave immunity to the persons involved in the killing of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The 43-minute drama was presented by Tarana Halim, Sazu Khadem, Fazlur Rahman Babu and others.

BNP leaders and activists yesterday burnt the effigies of Tarana Halim and Sazu Khadem protesting the drama in a demonstration in front of BNP central office in Dhaka.