Allegations have arisen that lawyers backed by the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) were obstructed from collecting nomination papers for the Chattogram District Bar Association (CDBA) election.
The incident took place today, Monday, around 3:00 pm at the entrance to the bar library in the Bar Association building within the Chattogram court premises.
Awami League–backed lawyers allege that the lawyers aligned with ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are preventing them from collecting nomination papers.
However, BNP-aligned lawyers claim that since Awami League activities are banned nationwide, lawyers affiliated with the party have no opportunity to participate in the election.
Police have been deployed at the scene, and the two sides have taken opposing positions.
The election of the Chattogram District Bar Association is scheduled to be held on 21 May. Nomination papers are to be collected and submitted today between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm from the temporary office of the election commission at the bar library.
Witnesses said that around 3:00 pm, a group of lawyers led by Abdur Rashid, a presidential candidate from the Awami League–backed panel, went to collect forms but were obstructed at the entrance to the bar library by BNP-aligned lawyers. At one stage of the commotion, members of the election commission shut the bar library doors. Awami League–backed lawyers then took position there.
The lawyers from the Awami League–backed Bangabandhu Awami Lawyers Council and the Combined Lawyers Coordination Council were chanting slogans in front of the bar library on the second floor of the Bar Association building. They blamed BNP-leaning lawyers for blocking the collection of nomination papers.
Abdur Rashid, a president candidate from the Awami League–backed panel, said they were not allowed to enter the bar library to collect nomination forms, as a result they could not obtain them.
He claimed that they intended to participate in the election as general lawyers.
Kamrul Islam Chowdhury, member secretary of the Chattogram unit of the Nationalist Lawyers Forum, said, “Awami League activities have been banned at the state level. In this situation, there is no environment for party-affiliated lawyers to participate in the election. Therefore, they have no opportunity to take part.”
Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Aftab Uddin said tension had arisen between the two sides over the collection of nomination papers. Additional police were deployed at the scene after receiving the information. So far, no untoward incident has occurred.
When asked, Chief Election Commissioner Rowshan Ara told Prothom Alo around 4:00 pm, “We will remain here until 5:00 pm. Any candidate can collect nomination forms for the election. The matter of obstruction has been informed to the police administration; they have arrived and are taking action.”