Dhaka: A defamation suit was lodged against acting Editor of the daily Amar Desh Mahmudur Rahman, its publisher Alhaj Mohammad Hasmat Ali and two reporters with a Dhaka court Sunday for reporting that State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam came of a ‘rajakar family’.

Taking the case into cognizance, Metropolitan Magistrate Emdadul Huq summoned the accused to appear in the court on June 10 in the case of libel.

Morshedul Islam, younger brother of Qamrul, filed the case against the newsmen of the pro-opposition Bengali daily.

The other accused persons are MA Noman and Rakib Hossain.

Eight persons, including the State Minister for Law, have been made witness in the case.

According to the prosecution, the daily published a ‘false’ report in the front page on 27 and 28 April terming the family members of Qamrul ‘rajakars’.

The complainant also said that he made national and international prize-winning short movies based on the liberation war.

“My brother, the State Minister for Law, participated in the liberation war after getting training in the first batch of Bangladesh Liberation Force from Deradun Military Academy of northern India in 1971,” says the complainant in defense of the family.

Moreover, the complainant’s father, Principal Hakim Khorshedul Islam, and elder brother Hakim Ajijul Islam were renowned unani doctors of the subcontinent.

“The published news tarnished the image of my family members as well as relatives,” alleged Morshedul Islam in the case statement.


BST 1644 HRS, May 30,2010
MI/MMK/ARF/SMS/MUA