Chittagong: A Tk 1,000 crore defamation case was filed on Thursday against ruling party lawmaker MA Latif in Chittagong on charge of tampering with Bangabandhu’s picture on billboards and festoons set up in Patenga and Bandar areas of the port city.

Former Jubo League leader Saifuddin Robi lodged the case with Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam’s court.

Taking cognizance of the charge against the Chittagong-11 (Bandar-Halishahar-Patenga) lawmaker, under sections 500, 501 and 502 of Bangladesh Penal Code, the court asked the police to investigate the matter.

Talking to reporters, Ibrahim Hossain Chowdhury Babu, the counsel of the plaintiff, said the court directed the Detective Branch (DB) police to probe the incident by an officer of deputy commissioner rank.

Latif has reportedly distorted Bangabandhu's image by superimposing the image of the Father of the Nation on his own body on billboards and festoons hung in Patenga and Bandar areas on the occasion of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to the port city.

The posture, attire, and shoes of the photo do not match with the Bangabandhu ones, promoting some Chhatra League men to post the photo on Facebook, airing their doubt.

In the photo, they alleged that Bangabandhu's face was tagged with the figure of Latif wearing Salwar and sneakers.

As the photo went viral on social media, ruling party men burst into protests demanding punishment against him for his audacity. They demonstrated on the Shaheed Minar premises on Wednesday against him and threw shoes at and spitted on his photo.

Talking to United News of Bangladesh, plaintiff Robi said Latif defamed Bangabandhu by tampering his photo. ‘On behalf of crores of people of

Bangladesh, I filed the case.’

He urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to expel him from the party cancelling his parliament membership. ‘I also call upon the government to arrest him immediately and charged him also with treason. ‘

Latif, a former president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, joined Awami League in 2008 and was elected lawmaker with its ticket from the Chittagong-11 constituency. He also became an lawmaker unopposed in the 5 January 2014 election from the same seat.