A court here yesterday issued an order to arrest Khulna-1 MP Nani Gopal Mandal and five other local Awami League leaders on charge of sexual harassment of a woman and attempt to kill her in Dakope upazila last month.
The Judge of the Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court (Zone `Ga`) passed the order directing the officer concerned of the PS to arrest the accused.
According to the prosecution Nani Gopal Mandal, AL MP from Dakope-Batiaghata constituency and also Dakop upazila chairman, along with his five associates sexually harassed upazila unit AL vice-chairman Jayanti Rani Sardar during a Hindu religious festival and attacked her with an ulterior motive to kill her as she tried to resist them late last month.
The victim further alleged that she filed the case with the Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court (Zone `Ga`) on April 26 as local PS refused to register her complaint under the influence of party high ups.
The other accused in the case are upazila AL joint secretary Sanat Kumar Hui Bachchu, local AL leader and UP member Achinta Saha, Jubo League leaders Makhan Chandra Chakraborty, Shyam Sundar Mandal and Devdas Mandal.
Asked to comment about the case filed by the local female AL leader and the subsequent arrest order issed by the court, Nani Gopal said, obtaining prior permission from the Speaker of parliament is needed to issue warrant of arrest against a MP by any agency.
He also denied the allegations made by the complainant against him.