12 more cases filed against Tarique, 7 arrest warrants issued

Over a dozen more cases have been filed against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman across Bangladesh for calling Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a ‘Razakar’. The courts on Monday issued arrest warrants for him in 7 of the cases. Tarique, elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and founder of the party Late President Ziaur Rahman, has been asked to appear before courts in several other suits. Tarique called Bangladesh’s independence architect Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a Pakistani collaborator at a function on December 15 in London, where he is staying since he got parole in Bangladesh for medical treatment in September, 2008. Tarique has made several statements on Bangabandhu’s family and the proclamation of independence on several occasions during his 6-year stay in the United Kingdom. He faced several defamation suits for the statements. More than a dozen cases were filed against him on Monday over his latest remarks – one of them is a Tk 10 billion defamation charge filed in Munshiganj. The other places where Tarique was sued on Monday are Dhaka, Gopalganj, Pirojpur, Narail, Madaripur, Khulna, Chittagong, Barisal, Khagrhachharhi, Barguna, Meherpur, Comilla, Kushtia, Jessore and Naogaon, according to bdnews24.com.