SCBA Polls Violence: Six lawyers including ex-secretary arrested, five remanded
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Law enforcers have arrested at least six Supreme Court lawyers, including former Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal, for their alleged involvement in the chaos and violence during the vote counting of the 2024-25 SCBA election.
The other arrestees are Advocate Kazi Bashir Ahmed, Advocate Tushar, Advocate Tariqul Islam, Advocate Enamul Haque Sumon, and Advocate Usman Chowdhury.
The arrestees are the first information (FIR)-listed accused of the case filed with the Shahbagh Police Station regarding the attack.
Barrister Kazal was arrested at 7.00 pm on Friday. Others were arrested earlier in the day.
Five lawyers who were arrested earlier on the day were placed on a 3-day remand by a Dhaka court in the case.
Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (Detective Branch) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, disclosed the arrest of five lawyers on Saturday while addressing reporters in Dhaka’s Minto Road.
“No one is above the law, no matter how powerful one is. After the case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station, DB police started a shadow investigation. Later, five lawyers were arrested from different areas, including Banani in the capital. They are being questioned as to why they caused a scuffle in the country’s highest court,” said the DB chief.
“We are looking for all those responsible for the incident. Everyone will be brought under the law,” Harun said.
Earlier, the vote counting in the two-day SCBA election was brought to a halt early on Friday following an altercation due to alleged interference from a group of outsiders on behalf of a candidate.
SCBA Chief Election Commissioner Senior Advocate Abul Khair confirmed the development.
The outsiders attacked some lawyers who were present at the polling centre in the SCBA auditorium, as the votes were scheduled to be counted there.
A lawyer suffered injuries, and other lawyers, including candidates and members of the election subcommittee, left the SCBA premises amid a tense situation.
Assistant Attorney General Md Saifur Rahman Siddique filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station on Friday regarding the violence. He brought an attempt to murder charge in the case.
Meanwhile, the election subcommittee on Saturday afternoon started vote counting for the polls, and it was going on until filing of this report.