A Dhaka court yesterday ordered a probe into a defamation allegation against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party's senior leader Goyeshwar Chandra Roy for their derogatory comments on the Liberation War martyrs.

Taking cognizance of the allegation, Metropolitan Magistrate Md Aminul Haque directed officer-in-charge (investigation) of Shahbagh police to investigate the complaint and submit a report to the court on February 7.

Earlier in the day, AB Siddique, president of Jananetri Parishad, filed the case against the two for their insulting remarks on the Liberation War martyrs.

This is the second lawsuit against Khaleda in this connection after she was sued for sedition with another Dhaka court on December 27 last year. The court on that day asked officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station to take legal action against Khaleda after investigating the allegation brought against her.

 On December 21 that year, Khaleda, in her first public address in more than a year, said, “There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War.”

Two days later, a  Supreme Court lawyer served a legal notice on Khaleda, asking her to apologise to the nation by seven days or face legal consequences for her comments.

Khaleda's comments drew widespread flak among the pro-liberation forces in the country. Many slammed Khaleda, terming her an “agent of Pakistan” and demanded that she leave Bangladesh.

On December 25 last year, in a flurry of outrageous remarks, Goyeshwar described the 1971 martyred intellectuals as "anti-liberation elements" who "died like fools" and drew salaries and allowances from Pakistan till the end of the war.

Different newspapers published the news items citing their comments which defamed the image of the freedom fighters who sacrificed themselves for liberating the country in 1971, said the complainant.