DU teachers, journalists hurt in attacks at DU, Press Club
Awami League (AL) activists, armed with sticks and meat cleavers, carried out a sudden attack on pro-BNP lawyers on the Supreme Court premises and created mayhem on Sunday. The AL activists broke through the locked entrance of the SC building, which was being guarded by police. Such an “unprecedented” incident has never occurred on the apex court premises since the country’s independence.
Several hundred supporters opened the gates and charged at fleeing pro-BNP lawyers around 3:20pm even though the police were present. However, the police did not follow them. The attackers assaulted at least three pro-BNP lawyers, set a motorcycle ablaze, burned a number of posters on the premises and chased the lawyers.
The injured lawyers were identified as Advocate Simki Imam Khan, Rehana Akter and Mohammad Shahbuddin.
Following the attack, pro-BNP lawyers fled inside the Bar Council building and locked the entrance of the building.
Clashes soon spread throughout the entire Supreme Court complex and pro-BNP lawyers and common people scattered hither and thither. At one point, a fire could be seen on the court premises.
The pro-BNP lawyers had been protesting on the apex court premises since the morning as they were prevented from going out of the SC with national flags to join the ‘March for Democracy’ programme in front of the Nayapaltan rally.
Later, the pro-BNP lawyers hurled glass bottles towards the Awami League activists from the rooftop of the Bar building, where they were standing. In retaliation, the AL supporters hurled bricks at them from outside the building. Both groups could be seen pelting stones at each other for about one-and-a-half hours.
A team of policemen led by deputy commissioner of Ramna police station, Maruf Hassan, entered the Supreme Court premises at 4.45pm and brought the situation under control.
The lawyers who had fled to the Bar building talked to the police and demanded justice for the attack victims and punishment for vandalism by outsiders. They also termed the incident as unprecedented. “The ruling party cadres attacked the judiciary. We want justice,” Advocate Aslamul Huq told the police.
Earlier, law enforcement personnel deployed water cannons to subdue the continued protests by pro-BNP lawyers under the banner of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Parishad.
Unrest in the area began from 11:30am, when the lawyers tried to bring out a procession from the court premises. They were held off with water cannons.
The police later dispelled them using sound grenades and teargas shells. Later, they locked the main gates of the court building and held a protest meeting at the South Hall of the Supreme Court Bar building.
Clashes occurred at intervals till the stick-wielding Awami League supporters charged inside the building .
Officials of the apex court were unable to come out from the court premises since6.00pm. Later, they were escorted out of the court premises by the police.
After coming out of the court, pro-BNP lawyers announced that they would organise a protest programme at the court tomorrow if they are not allowed to join the March for Democracy programme in front of the BNP party office.
A number of journalists, including Mafijul Islam, 55, the treasurer of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) and also a senior reader of The Independent, were injured by brickbats thrown by activists of a procession brought by Awami League and its front organisations on Sunday.
Witnesses said the incident occurred as the pro-BNP journalists leaders were delivering speeches criticising the government’s move for shutting down newspapers and TV Channels at the time when the AL procession was passing by.
This also led to a fist-fight between pro-BNP and Pro-Awami League journalists, who were holding separate rallies inside the Jatiya Press Club.
Awami League hurled rocks and invectives towards those inside the press club, hurting a number of journalists, including Mafijul Islam, who has been admitted to the DMCH for treatment.
Meanwhile, Press Club president Kamal Uddin Sabuj, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalist (BFUJ) president Ruhul Amin Gazi and general secretary Shawkat Mahmud in separate briefings demanded immediate arrest of the attackers within 24 hours.
Gazi said the attackers, led by general secretary of Dhaka city Awami League Moffazzal Hossain Maya and Chhatra League president Badiuzzaman Sohag, swooped on the peaceful rally inside the press club.
He claimed that at least 40 journalists were hurt by the brickbats.
Sabuj said that press club is national institution and non-partisan. He accused the police of remaining a mere spectator during the attack.
Meanwhile, Pro-Awami League journalist leader Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, who is also the information advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a rally called upon press club authorities to keep the club above political activities and out of terror elements. “The Press Club has now turned into a centre of BNP and Jamaat elements. If any political programme is observed here, it will be resisted,” he said.
Earlier, a procession led by Ruhul Amin Gazi tried to join the BNP’s March for Democracy programme, but police stopped them at the main entrance of the club.
In a statement Sohel Chowdhury, organising secretary of DUJ, said a faction of BFUJ and DUJ would jointly hold a rally in the press club at 11am on Monday with demand for freeing the club of non-journalists.
In the afternoon, a procession of Pro-BNP-Jamaat teachers of the University of Dhaka with national flags was stopped by the police near the Kadam Fountain in front of the High Court.
Witnesses said when the teachers tried to march toward Paltan to join BNP programme, police intercepted them. Then the teachers sat at the roundabout after an altercation.
They had a scuffle both with the police and activists of Chhatra League and Juba League, who were already demonstrating there with sticks, leaving at least eight teachers injured.
-With The Independent input
