SCBA voting suspended, police charge baton on journalists

The voting in the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election was suspended as pro-BNP lawyers started a demonstration soon after the polls began at 10am on Wednesday.

BNP and Awami League-backed lawyers locked in a chase and counter chase in the SC area. At that time, some journalists were injured as police charged baton on them mercilessly while discharging duties.  

The injured journalists are Fajlul Haque, Senior Staff Reporter of Jago News, Jannatul Ferdous Tanbi, Senior Reporter of Independent Television, Jabed Akter, Reporter of ATN News, Ibrahim Hossain, Cameraman of Boishakhi Television, Abdullah Al Maruf, Multimedia Reporter of Daily Manab Zamin, Humayun Kabir, Cameraman of ATN Bangla, Solaiman Swapon, Cameraman of Somoy Television, Mehedi Hasan Mim, Cameraman of DBC News and S M Nur Mohammad, Staff Reporter of Ajker Patrika.   

They were admitted to the emergency department of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 12:30pm and given primary treatment.

Md Bachchu Miah, Inspector and In-charge of the DMCH police camp, confirmed the matter to Jago News. 

The injured journalist Fajlul Haque said the situation became heated after the suspension of voting in SCBA election. At that time, police charged baton on the journalists while performing duties. 

However, the leaders of Law Reporters Forum (LRF) met Chief Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui and condemned the police baton charge.

A K M Amin Uddin, a pro-AL Supreme Court lawyer, said BNP-backed lawyers obstructed us after the voting started. The voting was suspended as they staged the demonstration demanding a neutral election commission. 

Advocate Gazi Md Kamrul Islam Sajal, General Secretary of Supreme Court unit of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, a body of pro-BNP lawyers, said the SCBA election was suspended in the face of pressure from general lawyers.  

“The election can’t be held until a neutral election commission is formed,” he said.