Complaint filed against Shishir Manir for 'hurting religious sentiment', court orders DB to investigate

A complaint has been filed in a Dhaka court against Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, Jamaat-e-Islami nominated candidate for Sunamganj-2 constituency and a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, on allegations of "hurting religious sentiment" through remarks made in a video circulated online.

Advocate Ridwan Hossain Robin filed the complaint today (7 December) in the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam. 

The plaintiff's lawyer Syed Nazrul Islam said the court recorded the plaintiff's statement after a hearing. However, no immediate order was issued at that time.

Later in the evening, the court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) of police to probe the allegations and submit a report, said the lawyer.

Attempts to reach Shishir Manir over the phone were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to repeated calls.

According to the complaint, Shishir Manir recently said in a video on the YouTube channel DSN that "Roza [fasting] and Puja are two sides of the same coin," which the applicant claims was intended to gain political advantage by hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslim public.

The complaint states that Muslims constitute approximately 91.04% of Bangladesh's population, and religion is considered a highly sensitive issue for them. It states that Muslims believe Allah has no form and that fasting is observed solely for the satisfaction of Allah, who grants its reward directly.

The allegation further notes that followers of Sanatan religion (Hinduism) worship deities in physical form and that drawing a comparison between Roza and Puja, even as an example, is unacceptable to Muslims and could create unrest.

It alleges that broadcasting and circulating this statement on social media and other online platforms caused distress among Muslims and created religious concern. The complaint has also requested the court to issue an arrest warrant against Shishir Manir.