Application filed seeking defamation case against Nasiruddin Patwary

An application has been filed with a Dhaka court seeking a defamation case against Nasiruddin Patwary, chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), on charges of criminal intimidation and defamation.

The petition was submitted on Sunday morning (March 8) at the court of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Dhaka by Ashraful Islam, president of the Ramna unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The complaint was filed on behalf of Mirza Abbas, political adviser to the prime minister and a standing committee member of the BNP. The application was placed before Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasan Shahadat.

Lawyer for the complainant, Md Amirul Islam, said a hearing on the matter is expected later in the day.

According to the petition, Patwary has been making defamatory remarks against Mirza Abbas on social media and various online platforms since losing to him in the Dhaka-8 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election.

The complaint cites a Facebook post made on March 5 in which Patwary allegedly described Mirza Abbas as the “number one godfather in Bangladesh’s criminal ranking,” calling the remark defamatory.

The complainant claims the statement spread widely across Facebook and YouTube, damaging Mirza Abbas’s long-standing political career and social reputation. The petition also alleges that the claims were intentionally fabricated and politically motivated.

Mirza Abbas and Nasiruddin Patwary were the main rivals in the Dhaka-8 constituency during the recently held 13th parliamentary election, where Abbas emerged victorious. Patwary had earlier alleged widespread irregularities in vote counting, and the latest legal move appears to stem from the ongoing political dispute between the two leaders.