Chattogram court violence: 63 lawyers granted bail in explosives case

At least 63 lawyers accused under explosives laws in connection with violent clashes on the Chattogram court premises have been granted bail.

The bail order was handed down by Chattogram Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sarker Hasan Shahriar on Monday, reports bdnews24.com. 

The accused, who surrendered earlier in the day, applied for bail in a case stemming from the violence that erupted last year.

Subrata Chowdhury, one of the lawyers of the accused, said: “The lawyers who have been named as the accused in this case are not involved in the incident. The person who filed the case was not even at the scene. He could not provide evidence in the case.”

“The court was satisfied with our hearing and granted bail to the lawyers until the charge sheet or police report is received.”

Meanwhile, state prosecutor Shamshul Alam said: “The court has not granted bail in the past in cases under the Explosives Act. We held a hearing. And the court has granted bail.”

On Nov 26, 2024, the court rejected the bail application of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Jagaran Jote, in a sedition case and ordered him to be sent to prison.

Following the ruling, protesters from the Hindu community surrounded the prison van in the court premises. The protest lasted for around two and a half hours before police used stun grenades to disperse the crowd. During the protest, several motorcycles and vehicles on Court Road were damaged, as glass shards littered the second floor of the Court Mosque Complex, where lawyers' chambers are located.

The demonstration sparked clashes between protestors and lawyers and staff. Lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death during the skirmishes on the Rangam Convention Hall road.

Four days after the incident, Alif's brother Khan Alam filed a case under the Explosives Act at the Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram. As many as 116 people were named as accused in the case filed on charges of vandalism, explosions and attacks on the public.

Later, a statement by the Bangladesh Sammilito Jagaran Jote claimed that the case was filed against Hindu lawyers so that they could not attend the bail hearing.

Meanwhile, Alif’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a separate murder case at the Kotwali Police Station, implicating 31 people, along with 15 to 16 unidentified suspects.

In addition, three other cases were filed by the police related to vandalism and obstruction of law enforcement, naming 76 individuals and listing 1,400 unidentified suspects.

Following the bail order on Monday, a group of lawyers protested at the court premises demanding justice for slain lawyer Alif.