Arrest warrant issued against Amir Hamza over derogatory remarks about energy minister

A court in Sirajganj has issued a warrant for the arrest of Kushtia-3 (Sadar) lawmaker Mufti Amir Hamza over allegations of making derogatory remarks about Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmood Tuku.

The warrant was issued yesterday (21 April) by Judicial Magistrate Suman Karmakar of the Chauhali Amli Court.

Plaintiff Advocate Humayun Kabir Kornel, general secretary of the Sirajganj District Bar Association, said he filed the case following instructions from the district unit of BNP over allegations that the MP had made offensive remarks about the minister.

He said the court had earlier issued a summons asking Amir Hamza to appear. However, he failed to comply despite receiving the notice.

As he remained absent on the scheduled date, the court issued the arrest warrant.

During the hearing, the plaintiff's counsel told the court that the accused had defied its order by not appearing despite the summons, making an arrest warrant necessary.

The court also inquired whether a sitting member of parliament could be arrested during an active session.

In response, the plaintiff's side said while the speaker's permission is required to arrest an MP, there is no legal bar to issuing an arrest warrant.

The court, satisfied with the explanation, subsequently issued the warrant.

According to the case, Amir Hamza allegedly referred to the minister's speech at an event on 26 March and termed him an atheist and anti-Islamic.

Iqbal Hasan Mahmood had paid tribute to the 1971 Liberation War and its freedom fighters in his speech.

Following that, Hamza reportedly made the controversial remarks during a discussion held before Friday prayers at a mosque in Kushtia.

He has previously faced multiple allegations of making objectionable remarks.

Following the incident, Humayun Kabir Kornel, also an additional public prosecutor at the Sirajganj District Judge Court, filed the defamation case.

The court issued a summons on 2 April directing the MP to appear.

This is the first instance of an arrest warrant being issued against a member of the 13th National Parliament.

Amir Hamza was elected an MP for the first time from Kushtia-3 as a candidate of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in the 13th parliamentary elections.

Attempts to reach the MP for comment were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was found switched off.