Arrest warrant issued against MP Amir Hamza

A court has issued an arrest warrant against Amir Hamza in a defamation case filed in Sirajganj. The judge of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court issued the order on Tuesday.

According to sources in the case, Amir Hamza, a member of parliament from Kushtia-3 constituency and leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, was accused of making defamatory comments about Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmud Tuku.

Earlier, on April 2, the court issued a summons to him to appear on April 21. However, since he did not appear in court on the scheduled date, the judge ordered an arrest warrant against him.

Assistant State Prosecutor Nasir Uddin said that the court was forced to issue this order after he ignored the summons.

When contacted, Amir Hamza said in a brief response that he was not aware of the matter.

It is worth noting that on April 2, General Secretary of Sirajganj District Bar Association Humayun Kabir filed the case as the plaintiff. The complaint states that in a speech, Amir Hamza called Iqbal Hasan Mahmud an 'atheist' and made comments that hurt religious sentiments. A case was filed under sections 296, 500 and 504 of the Penal Code in this incident.

Incidentally, on March 26, Amir Hamza made the comment during a discussion before Friday prayers at a mosque in Kushtia Sadar, which created controversy.