Case against Tarana, four others for 'distorting history' dismissed

A Dhaka court has dismissed a case filed against former state minister and Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance president Tarana Halim and five others on charges of distorting history and presenting BNP founder Ziaur Rahman as a controversial character in a drama titled ‘Indemnity’.

Dhaka Second Senior Assistant Judge Md Asikuzzaman issued the order after holding a hearing on taking the case into cognisance on Tuesday.

BNP lawyers Masud Ahmed Talukdar and Omar Faruq Faruquee presented the arguments on behalf of the plaintiff.

The court dismissed the case after it didn’t find any credible materials for taking it into cognisance as ‘Indemnity’ is a drama with a historical plot.

Poet and journalist Abu Saleh started the case on Monday against Tarana, actor Saju Khadem, playwright Mannan Hira, RTV Chairman Morshedul Alam, MP, and the information secretary for allegedly presenting Zia as a controversial character in the drama.

Saleh also brought allegation of distorting history in the play, which was produced by Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance and directed by Hira.

‘Indemnity’ has recently been aired on television networks and streamed on Facebook.

Zia was not in power during the enactment of the controversial Indemnity Act on Oct 26, 1977 and the people brought him to power during the ‘Sipahi-Janata Biplob', the BNP lawyers argued.

The accused, however,  have presented Zia as a controversial character in the drama that showed the Zia government had enacted the Indemnity Act, the lawyers said.

Actually the government of Awami League leader Khandakar Mushtaque Ahmed made the law to impede the trial of the killers of Bangabandhu, they argued in the court.

The plot of the drama was the enactment of the Indemnity Act which had given immunity to the people involved in the assassination of Bangabandhu.

It also highlighted the power-sharing and behind-the-scenes manoeuvres of Pakistan’s allies after the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975.

The 43-minute drama was presented by Tarana, Saju, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Riaz and others.