Submit probe report on Tarique, Fakhrul by Jan 20

A Dhaka court yesterday for the third time asked the officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station to submit a report by January 20 next year on the investigation of a defamation case filed against BNP leaders Tarique Rahman and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

They were sued for making “derogatory comments about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and distorting the history of Bangladesh”.

On September 8, AB Siddique, president of Bangladesh Jananetri Parishad, a pro-Awami League organisation, filed the case with another Dhaka court.

In the case, the complainant said BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique, at a seminar at Queen Mary University of London on August 24, said “the prime minister is the leader of black sheep”.

On September 2, Tarique told another seminar that Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh, which is defamatory and punishable, said Siddique.

On September 5, BNP acting secretary general Fakhrul, at a programme in the party's Nayapaltan headquarters, said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the end of his March 7 speech in 1971 used the words “Joy Pakistan”, the complainant said.