At least 63 lawyers accused under explosives laws in connection with violent clashes at the Chattogram court premises have been granted bail.
Chattogram Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sarker Hasan Shahriar issued the bail order on Monday.
The accused, who had surrendered earlier in the day, applied for bail in a case linked to the violence that occurred last year.
Subrata Chowdhury, one of the defense lawyers, stated: “The lawyers named as accused in this case were not involved in the incident. The person who filed the case wasn’t even at the scene and couldn’t provide evidence.”
“The court was satisfied with our arguments and granted bail to the lawyers until the charge sheet or police report is received.”
Meanwhile, state prosecutor Shamshul Alam said: “The court has never granted bail in cases under the Explosives Act before. After hearing our arguments, the court granted bail.”
Security measures were increased at the court premises on Monday morning, with police and BGB personnel deployed on the third floor of the building.
On November 26, 2024, the court had previously rejected the bail application of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Jagaran Jote, in a sedition case, ordering his imprisonment.
Following this ruling, protesters from the Hindu community surrounded the prison van on the court premises. The protest lasted for about two and a half hours before police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd. Several motorcycles and vehicles on Court Road were damaged, and glass shards were scattered across the second floor of the Court Mosque Complex, where the lawyers’ chambers are located.
The protest led to clashes between the protesters and lawyers and staff. During the skirmishes on Rangam Convention Hall road, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was fatally attacked.
Four days after the incident, Alif’s brother, Khan Alam, filed a case under the Explosives Act at the Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram. The case, which involved 116 accused individuals, was filed on charges of vandalism, explosions, and attacks on the public.
A statement from the Bangladesh Sammilito Jagaran Jote later claimed that the case was filed against Hindu lawyers to prevent them from attending the bail hearing.
Additionally, Alif’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a separate murder case at the Kotwali Police Station, naming 31 people and implicating 15 to 16 unidentified suspects.
Three more cases related to vandalism and obstruction of law enforcement were filed by the police, implicating 76 individuals and listing 1,400 unidentified suspects.
After the bail order was issued on Monday, a group of lawyers gathered at the court premises to protest, demanding justice for the slain lawyer Alif.
