Tarana files case over collecting money using her name

State Minister for Telecom Tarana Halim today sued Arun Rana Sarkar, general secretary of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote for collecting money using her name and post.

Joydeb Nandi, an assistant personal secretary to the state minister, filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station on behalf of Tarana, who is also president of the cultural organisation.

According to the case statement, forging signature of Tarana, Rana has been collecting money from different organisations since 2014 in the name of advertisements.

“It is completely against the principle and ideology of the state minister,” added the case statement.

Tarana in her complaint alleged that Rana has been engaged in collecting money from different organisations and persons and misappropriated the fund in a bid to tarnish her goodwill and image.

According to the case statement, forging signature of the state minister, Rana sent letters to the Teletalk authorities seeking money for marking different occasions including the Victory Day, Jail Killing Day and Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Contacted, Rana told The Daily Star that the charges brought against him are baseless.

"I did not forge anyone's signatures. Even, my signatures on the letters are also fake. Someone might have done it to falsely implicate me," he said.