Two more cases were filed with a court in the southeastern port city of Chittagong yesterday against ruling Awami League lawmaker M A Latif for tampering with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s picture on billboards and festoons set up in Patenga and Bandar areas of the port city.
Belayet Hossain, member of the advisory committee of city Awami League, filed a case with the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam on sedition charge and former Jubo League leader Saifuddin Robi lodged the other case under section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (Amendment) Act 2013 with the same court.
Taking cognisance of the complaints, the court asked the officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station to take necessary action about the sedition case and directed the Panchlaish police station officer-in-charge to submit a report before it within 15 days after investigating the complaint under the ICT Act.
Belayet’s counsel Rony Kumar Dey said the ruling party member of parliament (MP) violated the country’s constitution through distorting the image of the Father of the Nation.
Latif reportedly distorted Bangabandhu’s picture by superimposing the image of the Father of the Nation on his own body on billboards and festoons hung in Patenga and Bandar areas on the occasion of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to the port city.
The posture, attire and shoes of the photo do not match with the Father of the Nation’s ones, prompting some student activists of the ruling party to post the photo on Facebook, airing their doubt.
In the photo, they alleged that Bangabandhu’s face was tagged with the figure of Latif wearing trouser and sneakers.
As the photo went viral on social media, ruling party men burst into protests demanding punishment against him for his audacity.
Following the incident, Saifuddin Robi filed a 10bn taka defamation case against Latif on February 4 while former student leader Abdur Rahim Jillu filed another case against the ruling party lawmaker on the same ground.
BANGLADESH
