Acting editor of Amar Desh newspaper, Mahmudur Rahman, has demanded arrest warrant against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Sheikh Hasina took away the people's freedom of speech and is directly implicated in the recent massacres,” he said during a meeting with journalists at the Kushtia Press Club today. He called for bringing her back to the country to face trial.

Mahmudur emphasized, “Although fascism has been defeated, Indian dominance persists. We must rally around a Bengali Muslim identity. Sheikh Hasina's political downfall will come from our own culture, leading to the end of Indian hegemony.”

Earlier in the day, he filed a case against 66 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina and ex-IGP Mohammad Javed Patwary, for an attack on him at a court premises in Kushtia about six years ago.

Hasina, 65 others sued over attack on Mahmudur Rahman in Kushtia

In response to a question, Mahmudur said, “Now that the rights of Bangladeshis, freedom of speech, and the dignity of the court have been restored, I could file this case.” He also demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the incident.

A total of 46 people including leaders and activists of Awami League, Chhatra League, Jubo League and Swechhasebak League were named in the case along with 15 to 20 unnamed.

According to the case statement, Mahmudur Rahman came under attack by the accused when he was coming out of the Kushtia court after securing bail in a defamation case on July 22, 2018. Later, he returned to Dhaka by an ambulance.

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In 2018, then Kushtia Chhatra League president Yeasir Arafat Tushar filed a case against Mahmudur Rahman, bringing allegation of making derogatory remarks about Tulip Siddiq, granddaughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and niece of Sheikh Hasina.

Mahmudur Rahman also went to the home of BUET student Abrar Fahad, who was brutally murdered by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists inside the Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university.