Dhaka: ‘Why police is taking away my father? Is he a bad man?’ asked Torun Ishan, the 5-year-old son of UNO Gazi Tariq Salmon, to his mother as he saw police capturing his father on the television screen.

Earlier, on 7 June, a Barisal Awami League leader Obaidullah Saju filed a Tk 5-crore defamation suit against Agailjhara UNO Gazi Tariq Salmon, now in Barguna Sadar upazila UNO, for publishing the photo of Bangabandhu in invitation card on the occasion of the Independence Day.

The photo, which was drawn by a child in a painting competition organised by the UNO in Agailjhara upazila of Barisal on the occasion of National Children's Day marking the birthday of Bangabandhu on 17 March was used in the card.

In the meanwhile, he was transferred to Barguna Sadar from Agailjhara.

Later, on 19 July, a Barisal CMM court sent the UNO to jail after he surrendered before it in compliance with its order and sought bail.

Salman was granted bail on a bond of Tk 10,000, hours after he landed in jail.

As the incident sparked off huge public outcry throughout the country, Awami League suspended Obaidullah Saju on 21 July for filing the Tk 5 crore defamation case over enthusiastically.

On 22 July, Six policemen who were on duty on the court premises when UNO Gazi Tariq Salman was sent to jail in a defamation case were closed to the District Police Lines.

On 23 July, a Barisal court quashed the defamation case against Gazi Tariq Salmon filed for publishing a ‘distorted photo’ of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the invitation card issued on the occasion of Independence Day.

After the case was withdrawn, Tariq Salmon post a status on his personal Facebook profile on Monday evening describing the mental state of his 5-year-old son after seeing his father arrested by police.

He wrote: ‘I named him Torun Ishan, after a poem of poet Nazrul. He is our only child. He is around five-year-old. Recently, he asked a question to his mother, when he saw on television that police officials taking away his father. However, his mother could not give any answer to his question. He knows, police only detained bad people (as he sometime watches ‘Crime Petrol’ on Channel Sony 8).

The status says, ‘Ishan asked his mother, ‘Why police is taking away my father? Is he a bad man?’ Tonu, my wife could not reply to her son yet.’

‘We all are looking for answer of the same question,’ says Tariq on his status.