Arrest warrant for Giasuddin Quader on charges of threatening PM

A Chittagong court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for BNP Vice Chairman Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury on charges of “threatening” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The arrest warrant was issued after Nazimuddin Muhuri, general secretary of the Fatikchhari upazila chapter of the ruling Awami League, filed a case with the court of Judicial Magistrate Shahidullah Kaiser. 

The plaintiff brought charges under sections 506, 505(A), and 153 of the Penal Code of Bangladesh, 1860, for making defamatory comments and inciting offence and anarchy.   

Sheikh Iftikher Shimul Chowdhury,  the plaintiff's lawyer, confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune.

Nurul Azim Rony, former secretary of the Chittagong city unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the Awami League, also lodged a case against Giasuddin Quader, the younger brother of executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, with Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court-5.

The case was filed under sections 124 (A), 506, and 500 of the Penal Code of Bangladesh, 1860, for “sedition, threatening the prime minister with death, and defamation.” 

“The court asked the officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station to take necessary legal steps against the accused, said Shimul. 

On Wednesday, Jamal Uddin, president of the Fatikchhari upazila chapter of Chhatra League, lodged another case with Fatikchari police station against the BNP leader, who allegedly told an iftar party on Tuesday that “the prime minister’s fate would be even worse compared to her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”.

BNP organized the program, marking the 37th death anniversary of its founder and late president Ziaur Rahman.

Meanwhile, police arrested two people on Thursday in connection with the case filed by Jamal.

They are Mansur Alam Chowdhury, 47, and Nurul Islam Member, 60.

Attack on Giasuddin’s home

The family residence of Giasuddin Quader was vandalized on Wednesday evening.

Nurul Islam, a caretaker of the house on Goods Hill in Chittagong city, told the Dhaka Tribune that a group of 70-80 armed hoodlums attacked the house around 7:30pm. 

“They vandalized nine cars, CCTV cameras, furniture, ornaments, windows, and several doors of the house,” he said. 

“Only the wife of Saifuddin Quader Chowdhury, a brother of Giasuddin Quader, was in the house during the attack.”

The Chittagong city chapter of BNP held Awami League responsible for the attack.

“Awami League has established a reign of terror all over the country. We condemn the cowardly attack on the house. The perpetrators should be brought to book without delay,” said Abu Sufian, senior vice president of Chittagong BNP.

Dr Shahadat Hossain, president of Chittagong BNP, said they were horrified by the act of ransacking carried out on the residence of Giasuddin Quader.