Complaint filed on Shishir over ‘religious sentiment’

Staff Reporter:

A complaint has been filed in a Dhaka court against Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s nominated candidate for the Sunamganj-2 constituency and a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, alleging that he “hurt religious sentiment” through remarks made in a video circulated online.

The complaint was submitted on Sunday by Advocate Ridwan Hossain Robin in the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam. The plaintiff’s lawyer, Syed Nazrul Islam, said the court recorded the plaintiff’s statement after a hearing, though no immediate order was issued at that time.

Later in the evening, the court directed the Detective Branch (DB) of the police to investigate the allegations and submit a report, according to the lawyer.

The complaint claims that in a video on the YouTube channel DSN, Shishir Manir stated that “Roza [fasting] and Puja are two sides of the same coin.” The plaintiff argues that the remark wasmade to gain political advantage by offending the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.

The complaint highlights that Muslims make up approximately 91.04% of Bangladesh’s population and that religion is a highly sensitive matter for them. It notes that Muslims believe Allah has no physical form and that fasting is observed solely for Allah’s satisfaction, while followers of Sanatan religion (Hinduism) worship deities in physical form.

The complaint argues that comparing Roza and Puja, even hypothetically, is unacceptable to Muslims and could incite unrest.

It further states that broadcasting and circulating the statement on social media and other online platforms caused distress among Muslims and created religious concern. The complaint also requests that the court issue an arrest warrant against Shishir Manir.