3 lawyers beaten over seeking bail for rape accused in Jamalpur

After the bail petition for the accused, students outside the court allegedly began demonstrating before launching an attack

Three lawyers have been beaten up and injured over petitioning for bail for a person accused in a rape case in Jamalpur.

The lawyers accused Anti-discrimination Student Movement leaders and activists of the assault but the organisation denied the allegations on Monday.

The incident occurred in front of Jamalpur District Judge Court, according to Public Prosecutor Fazlul Haque.

The injured are elderly lawyer Khalilur Rahman, Abdul Awal, Jamalpur District BAR Association Vice President Abdul Awal and lawyer Shahjahal Ali.

Fazlul said lawyers Abdul Wahed and Nazrul Islam Tarafder requested bail for Sabuj, the accused in a Women and Child Repression Prevention Act case identified by a single name, on Monday.

But the court turned down the appeal.

The Uprising protesters outside the court began demonstrating over the bail petition, later allegedly launching an attack on the three lawyers.

According to Fazlul’s account of the incident, the Uprising protesters then stepped back due to resistance from the locals as some students ended up injured, prompting police to take control of the situation.

Jamalpur BAR Association General Secretary Rishad Rezwan Babu said: “Everyone has the right to seek justice in court. The attack on lawyers is despicable. I call for exemplary punishment for the attackers.”

BNP's Jamalpur district unit General Secretary Md Wares Ali Mamun called the assault of lawyers “unfortunate”, while Abdul Awal, secretary of district Jamaat-e-Islami, condemned the act.

The Movement’s Jamalpur Unit Convenor Mir Ishak Hasan Ikhlas said: “No one launched the attack there under the anti-discrimination banner. Three students were injured in the attack by lawyers.”

Jamalpur Sadar Additional Police Superintendent Yahya Al Mamun said they would investigate the matter and take proper steps.