Staff Reporter :
Disgraced former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murad Hassan returned home on Sunday after having failed to enter Canada and the UAE.
He arrived at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka by an Emirates flight at 4:55 pm on Sunday. Several sources of the airport confirmed the news.
An officer of the police’s Special Branch said Murad used the domestic terminal to leave the airport.
“As Murad had no valid visa to enter Dubai, he got back home,” an airport official told the media requesting anonymity.
An official at the Dhaka airport said the airline authorities handed Murad to the immigration authorities – a practice for the air passengers barred from their intended destinations.
Murad Hassan had left the country for Canada in an Emirates flight around 1:20am on Thursday night.
According to Toronto-based Bangla news portal thebengalitimes.com, Murad reached Toronto Pearson International Airport at 1.31am (Canadian time) on Friday.
Canadian immigration officials questioned the former Bangladesh’s junior minister about various allegations, including harassing, humiliating and torturing women, against him in Bangladesh.
They also showed him various videos, photos and news released and published on him, and wanted to know his version, the news portal said. It said Murad was also asked about the reasons for leaving Bangladesh and coming to Canada, but he failed to give any “satisfactory answer”.
Murad was then flown back to Dubai in a return Emirates flight from the Canadian airport.
Meanwhile, four more cases have been filed across the country against Dr Murad Hassan under the Digital Security Act (DSA) for his disrespectful remarks on women.
In Dhaka, Advocate Omar Faruk Faruki, former General Secretary of Dhaka Bar Association, filed a case against Murad with the Dhaka Cyber Tribunal on Sunday.
In Rajshahi, Saiful Islam, former general secretary of Bogura Bar Association and senior joint convener of district BNP, filed another case against Murad with Rajshahi Cyber Tribunal under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
In Khulna, Advocate Molla Golam Moula, General Secretary of Khulna Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, filed a case on Sunday noon, and the hearing will be held on December 14.
In Chattogram, Advocate ASM Badrul Anwar, President of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum of Chattogram unit, filed a case with Chattogram Cyber Tribunal against Murad and his presenter Nahid on Sunday.
In Sylhet, another case was filed at Sylhet Cyber Tribunal by Advocate Md Tanvir Akther Khan of Sylhet District Bar Association.
The hearing of the case is scheduled for December 15 by the tribunal’s Judge Md Abul Kashem.
On Tuesday, Murad Hassan quit the cabinet following the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for his offensive and indecent remarks on women.
Murad had been under increasing criticism by various quarters for his disrespectful remarks on women in an interview on social media. Several audios and videos containing indecent remarks by Murad Hassan also went viral on social media during the last few days.
Meanwhile, a two-year-old phone conversation of the junior minister with actor Mamnun Hasan Emon and actress Mahiya Mahi recently went viral on social media. In that audio clip, Murad made “derogatory comments” on the actress, threatened her and gave her an alleged indecent proposal.
On Wednesday, a writ was filed with the High Court challenging the legality of Murad Hassan’s MP post on the same ground.
Supreme Court Advocate Yunus Ali Akhand who filed the petition with the apex court also sought judicial investigation into the activities of Murad, also the MP of Jamalpur-4 constituency.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah is likely to hear the writ next week.
Murad was also relieved from the post of Health and Population Affairs Secretary of Jamalpur district unit Awami League for damaging the party’s image and for his involvement in anti-disciplinary activities.
