Lawyer Shishir Manir faces charges of ‘hurting religious sentiments’ over Puja, fasting remarks

Plaintiff says the lawyer made the comment to “gain political advantage”

A case has been filed against lawyer Shishir Manir for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by commenting that fasting and Puja (the act of idol worship) are “two sides of the same coin”.

Dhaka Bar Association member Ridwan Hossain Robin filed the case in the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam on Sunday. A YouTube channel named “DSN” has also been made a defendant in the application.

Bench assistant Nazmul Talukder said the court has received the plaintiff’s statement and is awaiting an order.

Later in the afternoon, the court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) police to investigate the complaint and submit a report.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shishir is seeking nomination from Sunamganj-2 constituency in the next general elections.

The complaint says about 91 percent of the country’s population is Muslim and that religion and religious practices are a sensitive matter for people who follow Islam.

“Muslims observe fasting to please a formless Allah, and the reward is given by Allah in His own way.

“In Bangladesh, where communal harmony exists, followers of the Sanatani religion worship their gods and goddesses by giving them physical forms.

“For this reason, Muslims will never accept fasting being used as an example alongside acts of idol worship. Such a comparison would instead create confusion and unrest.”

The comments made by Shishir were broadcast on the YouTube channel named DSN, the complaint added.

“Shishir deliberately made comments in an attempt to gain political advantage, calling ‘fasting and Puja two sides of the same coin’, which has hurt the religious sentiments of the country’s Muslim population and created chaos among devout Muslims.”

bdnews24.com’s attempts to contact Shishir for comment were unsuccessful.