Arrest warrant issued against ex-state minister Murad Hassan

A Jamalpur court has issued an arrest warrant against former state minister Murad Hassan in a defamation case over derogatory comments about BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her family.

Senior Judicial Magistrate (3rd Court) Romana Akter of Sarishabari Amli Court passed the order today.

The case was filed over remarks Murad made in 2021 while serving as a junior minister. During a talk show aired on the YouTube and Facebook page Pansiana, he allegedly made obscene and defamatory comments about Khaleda, her son Tarique Rahman, and granddaughter Zaima Rahman.

The complaint claims the comments were false, offensive, and defamatory, causing damages of over Tk 10,000 crore and harming the country's image. Lion Md Rumel Sarkar, a former Chhatra Dal leader and vice president of Sarishabari Truck Owners' Association, filed the case on September 10, 2024.

The show's host, Mahi Uddin Helal Nahid, is also named as an accused. Both were summoned in May but but neither complied in the past three months. The court today issued arrest warrants against them.