6 hurt as cops, AL men attack pro-opposition SC lawyers

Dhaka – At least six pro-opposition lawyers were injured as police and Awami League activists swooped on them on the Supreme Court premises

on Sunday .
Witnesses said a group of SC lawyers, led by Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and vice-chairman of Bangladesh
Bar Council, brought out a procession on the Supreme Court premises around 11:30am, to attend the ‘March for Democracy’ programme.
As they were trying to come out of the court premises in a procession, police fired teargas shells and sprayed water from water cannon to
foil the procession. Later, the lawyers took shelter in the Bar Council Bhaban.
When the lawyers tried again to gather in front of the Supreme Court main gate, police charged a sound grenade, leaving lawyers Abu Jafar
Sheikh Manik, Nazrul Islam Pappu and Imran M injured.
Of them, Zafar and Nazrul were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while Imran was released after first aid at SC Bar Association health
centre.
Police again sprayed boiled water from water cannon to disperse the lawyers while holding a rally in the Supreme Court Bar Bhaban around 3
pm.
Later, a group of 150-200 ruling party activists wielding sticks stormed into the SC compound breaking open the main gate and started
beating up BNP and Jamaat-backed lawyers, leaving three of them injured.
The attackers also set fire to a motorcycle there.
Among others, SCBA president AJ Mohammad Ali, its former president Zainul Abedin, BNP leaders Mahbubur Rahman, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury,
Osman Faruk and Shahjahan Omar, Maj Gen (retd) Ruhul Alam Chowdhury, Masud Ahmed Talukder, Kaiser Kamal, Ruhul Quddus Kazal, Abdullah Al
Mahbub and Mirza Al Mahbub joined the procession. – UNB