Tarique, ETV chairman sued for sedition

A sedition case was filed yesterday against BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and ETV Chairman Abdus Salam in connection with a “false, fabricated and instigating” speech of the BNP leader aired on the television.

A sub-inspector filed the case with Tejgaon police station in the capital accusing Tarique's speech and its telecast of posing a threat to the country's sovereignty.

Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station, confirmed the filing of the case.

According to the case statement, Tarique, Salam and other “conspirators” tried to create anarchy through the speech broadcast live on Ekushey Television on January 5.

Tarique, also the elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, has been in London since 2008.

The case statement said Tarique, in his 50-minute speech at a programme organised by the BNP UK chapter in London, said the chief justice cannot do justice to anyone “after offering prayers to the grave of a political leader and delivering political speeches.”

The plaintiff in the case said the remark on the judiciary was derogatory. 

The statement added that Tarique in his speech brought false accusations that Awami League men killed 75 army officials in the 2009 carnage at the then BDR headquarters at Pilkhana.

He also alleged that army officers who had demanded investigation into the incident were sacked.    

Meanwhile, Salam, the ETV chairman, was denied bail and sent to jail by a Dhaka court yesterday in another case filed under the Pornography Control Act 2012. 

The court also asked police to quiz him at the jail gate within the next five days.

 Salam was held early Tuesday from his Karwan Bazar office and shown arrested that afternoon.

The next day, the High Court ordered the government to immediately take steps to stop publicising Tarique's statements in the print, electronic and social media as long as he was a fugitive.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said the government was planning to bring Tarique back to the country as he was a fugitive accused in different cases.  

“I have had a meeting with the British High Commissioner in Bangladesh recently. I have told him that Tarique should not be allowed to misuse the land of the United Kingdom,” he told a programme in the capital.

The minister also said he hoped the British government would take necessary steps to bring back Tarique.