Awami League supporters attacked pro-BNP lawyers for the second consecutive day on the Supreme Court premises on Monday. Activists of the Mohila Awami League, Sramik League and the Prazanma League threw brick bats at pro-BNP lawyers in front of the main gate, where a meeting was being held in protest against Sunday’s attack at around 12.00 noon.The pro-BNP lawyers retaliated by throwing brick bats. Later, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) held a press briefing in the South Hall of the Supreme Court bar building protesting against the attack.
Pro-AL lawyers too brought out a procession and held a meeting against the BNP-Jamaat lawyers for indulging
in violence on the Supreme Court premises. At a press briefing, SCBA president advocate AJ Mohammad Ali said his organisation had decided to observe work abstention in all courts across the country, including the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, in protest against attack by outsiders on the lawyers on December 29. It also demanded arrest and exemplary punishment for the miscreants and formation of a judicial inquiry committee to ensure punishment for policemen who were on duty.
When the Supreme Court lawyers were staging a rally at the main gate of the Supreme Court as part of the “March for Democracy” in a peaceful manner, a group of outsiders attacked them in collusion with the police, BSCBA president AJ Mohammad Ali said at a news conference on Monday. “The miscreants were desperate and started beating up the lawyers indiscriminately. When the bewildered lawyers took shelter at the BSCBA building, the outsiders also attacked them there,” he said.
The miscreants torched a motorcycle and continued their assault even on justice seekers, Ali said. Although they went berserk and ran amok for nearly two hours, the law enforcers did not take any action.
“When we brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Justice, he also did not take any action. The BSCBA condemns the inaction and nonchalance of the Chief Justice and the administration,” he said.
The BSCBA notes with great concern that a quarter with vested interests is carrying out barbaric incidents in a planned way and it is tantamount to attacking the judicial system, acting secretary of the BSCBA ABM Rafiqul Haque Raza said.
“When the lawyers were trying to bring out a peaceful procession inside the main gate of the Supreme Court, the police stopped them from coming out on the streets and kept the main gate closed. But at one stage the police opened the gate to allow several hundred miscreants carrying sticks to enter the Supreme Court premises and attack the lawyers,” he said.
Several lawyers, including advocate Simki Imam, were injured in the attack, Raza said.
The BSCBA also demanded release of all lawyers and justice seekers, including advocate Arifa Jesmin, and urged all judges, lawyers and concerned people to express solidarity with them.
-With The Independent input
