Concern over lack of security at courts

The killing of a murder accused by another right before a judge and law enforcement officials inside a courtroom in Cumilla on Monday has raised questions over the security arrangement in court premises across the country.

The lack of security at courts, exposed by this incident, has made judges and advocates worried about their own safety.

Talking to The Business Standard, at least 10 judges from subordinate courts in different parts of the country expressed their dissatisfaction over the security arrangements at their respective courts.

They also called for tightening security at the courtroom and its premises.

Abdullah Abu, metropolitan public prosecutor (PP) of Dhaka, said, the current security arrangements are not enough to ensure people’s safety at court premises.

“Court premises are open to all. Anyone who seeks justice has to come here.

The security and surveillance system at Dhaka court is deplorable,” Abdullah Abu said, adding “to ensure security for all, we need to have proper arrangement to carry out security checks on everyone who wants to enter the courtroom.”

The metropolitan PP also called for taking necessary steps to tighten security measures in court premises.

Earlier on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said a probe committee had been formed to investigate the Cumilla courtroom incident.

The home minister said police would investigate how an accused was able to enter  the courtroom with a knife.

“If we find anyone’s negligence, we will take necessary action against them,” he said while addressing an award ceremony of the Border Guard Bangladesh at their headquarters in the capital.

CCTV cameras and scanning machines will be installed at courtrooms, the home minister went on saying.

The high court has also directed the authorities concerned to ensure court security immediately. The HC order came following an advocate and wife of a judge, Ishrat Hasan, had filed a writ petition with the court seeking guarantee of tightened security in court premises.

Meanwhile, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on Tuesday that he had directed the authority concerned to boost security of court areas across the county.

“I have already talked to top police officers in Cumilla  to beef up security measures at the court,” the minister told reporters  after a meeting  with deputy commissioners on the third day of DC conference at cabinet division auditorium in the city.

The minister went on to say that the shocking incident has raised concerns over the inefficient security system in the country's courtrooms.

However, Cumilla court incident was not the first of its kind in the country. Such kind of attacks had also taken place in almost all districts before.

On August 17, 2005, the banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) executed a series bomb blasts in 63 districts across the country. On that day, four people were killed along with judges.

The militant outfit also targeted court premises to carry out bomb attacks during that time.

On November 14 the same year, a suicidal bomb attack was also made in a courtroom of Jhalokathi District and Session Judge Court. Two judges named Jagannat Pare and Sohel Ahammed were killed in that attack.

Since then, several incidents of the same kind have taken place in court premises across the country.

On July 22, 2018, Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of Bengali daily Amar Desh, was also attacked by BCL activists in Kushtia court premises.

Later, on November 4 the same year, eminent lawyer and former adviser to a caretaker government, Barrister Mainul Hosein was attacked by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists in Rangpur court premises.

These incidents expose how poor the security system in the country’s court premises are.

The scenario of most the court premises across the country is the same.

Anyone can enter the court without going through any checking.

Talking to the newspaper, Sohel Rana, an assistant inspector general (AIG) of police, said that court premises are full of different kinds of people. Even then, policemen try their best to ensure security there.