Dishonouring Bangabandhu: Narail court sentences Tarique to 2 years in jail

A Narail court has sentenced BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman to two years of imprisonment in a case filed over derogatory comments he made on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Judicial Magistrate Amatul Morsheda delivered the verdict on Thursday, also fining Tareque Tk10,000, in default of which he will have to serve another six months in jail, reports BSS.

According to the case docket, Tarique had remarked dishonouring Bangabandhu at a party event in the UK, marking the Victory Day, in 2014. 

As the incident made headlines, freedom fighter Shahjahan Biswas, also a former commander of Kalia Upazila Muktijoddha Sangsad and an Awami League activist from Bendarchar village, filed a Tk1,000 crore defamation case against Tareque.

After cross-examining three prosecution witnesses, the judge handed down the sentence.

Expressing his satisfaction over the judgment, state counsel Sanjid Kumar Basu said the verdict will be executed once the absconding BNP leader is extradited.

Interestingly, no lawyer stood for Tarique during the verdict. 

On the matter, Narail district unit BNP’s former president Md Iqbal Hossain said they could not hire a lawyer for the case since Tarique has been abroad.