Another court issues arrest warrant for Latif Siddique

A Dhaka court has ordered the arrest of former minister Abdul Latif Siddique in a case that accuses him of hurting religious sentiments.

File Photo

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Meher Nigar on Monday asked police to submit a report on execution of Siddique's arrest order on Nov 27, prosecution lawyer TH Khan Shoeb said.

Ulama League leader Abu Bakar Siddque filed the case on Oct 2.

The magistrate had ordered Tangail-4 MP Latif Siddique to appear before court in the case on Oct 20. But he did not, prompting the magistrate to order his arrest.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan had ordered Siddque’s arrest in a similar case on Oct 15.

He was asked to appear before court on that same day over a case filed by lawyer Shah Alam under Section 295 (a) and Section 298 of the Criminal Procedure Code on Oct 2.

However, the politician made no appearance.

Siddique drew widespread condemnation after rubbishing the practice of Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat at a programme in New York on Sept 28.

A video clip of his utterances triggered a controversy as it went viral on the internet.

“So much manpower is wasted over the Hajj. Two million people are now in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj. They have no work or role in production. They only eat and go abroad using the country’s money,” Siddique was heard saying in the video.

Since then, over two dozen cases have been filed against him at different courts in several districts of Bangladesh, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments.

Amid the furore, the government dropped him from the Cabinet while the Awami League expelled him from its policymaking body, Presidium.

Now in Kolkata, Siddique told bdnews24.com last Tuesday he would reply to the show-cause "as and when I get it and within the stipulated time".