Tensions boil over in Bangladesh’s Barishal as a lawyers’ protest escalates into a full judicial blackout, now entering its fourth day. Sparked by the detention of District Bar Association chief Sadiqur Rahman Lincoln and 11 peers, the action has shuttered all courts, condemning litigants to uncertainty and despair.
Thursday unfolded as a day of dashed expectations. Crowds gathered at judicial complexes, including the main District and Sessions Court, but found only protests and padlocks. Sabuj Hawladar emerged as a symbol of collateral damage, relentlessly circling courtrooms with bail documents amid the void.
To Daily Star reporters, Sabuj poured out his frustration over a case lodged 3 months, 10 days back under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act naming three, including bail-out Akbar Ali Hawladar. Rebuffed by High Court to local benches, he confronted inertia.
‘Court stoppage prevented my bail petition filing,’ he said. ‘Deadline hits Sunday; with holidays looming, Thursday was do-or-die. The anxiety is overwhelming.’
Roots lie in Tuesday’s melee: Lincoln’s group allegedly wrecked Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate facilities, footage exploding across social platforms. Speedy Trial Act invoked by complainant Rajib Majumdar led to rapid arrests.
Protest momentum surged Thursday with ultimatums for Lincoln’s release and case quashing, under threat of indefinite paralysis. Anonymously, a demonstrator told The Daily Star: ‘Three days down, litigants agonize – but lawyer persecution demands response.’
This crisis reverberates nationally, spotlighting lawyer-magistrate frictions. Barishal’s legal machinery grinds idle, stranding urgent bails, trials, and settlements. Public outrage simmers as access to redress evaporates. Stakeholders urge de-escalation via negotiation, warning prolonged strife risks broader judicial erosion in Bangladesh.