An accused man was sentenced to one year of simple imprisonment after allegedly assaulting police officers inside a courtroom in Barguna following the rejection of his bail application.
The incident took place on Wednesday (16 September) around midday inside the courtroom of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate at the Barguna District and Sessions Judge’s Court. The court also fined the accused, Md Bashir, Tk1,000. In default of payment, he will have to serve an additional 15 days in simple imprisonment.
Bashir is a resident of the Chhoto Gourichanna area of Gourichanna Union No. 2 in Barguna Sadar upazila.
According to court officials, proceedings were under way in connection with a CR case in which Bashir had previously been on temporary bail. During the hearing, his application for continuation of bail was rejected by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Moniruzzaman.
Following the order, Bashir reportedly became agitated inside the courtroom. He began repeatedly questioning why his bail had been rejected and, according to those present, continued speaking loudly and using offensive language.
Lawyers present in the courtroom reportedly asked him to remain calm and stop the disturbance. He allegedly refused to comply.
The situation escalated when police personnel on duty attempted to restrain him and put handcuffs on him. According to the prosecution, Bashir then physically assaulted the officers and became involved in a scuffle with them.
Three police personnel—Md Siddiq, Md Shahjahan and Hanufa—were injured in the incident. Shahjahan was reportedly the most seriously injured among the three.
Following the disturbance, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate immediately took cognisance of a separate CR case arising from the incident. Witnesses who were present in the courtroom were heard, after which the court handed down the sentence against Bashir.
Additional Public Prosecutor of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court, Advocate Md Kamrul Islam, said the accused had appeared before the court in connection with the CR case. After the judge ordered that he be sent to jail custody, Bashir became agitated and repeatedly questioned the decision.
He allegedly continued shouting and using offensive language inside the courtroom. When police officers tried to stop him and take control of the situation, he allegedly pushed and assaulted them, Kamrul Islam said.
Barguna District and Sessions Judge’s Court Public Prosecutor Advocate Nurul Amin also described the incident as beginning after the court ordered the accused to be sent to jail custody. According to him, Bashir reacted by speaking loudly, and the situation escalated when police attempted to restrain him.
The court subsequently sentenced him to one year of simple imprisonment under Section 323 of the Penal Code, along with the Tk1,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine will result in a further 15 days of simple imprisonment.
The incident occurred in the courtroom itself, where proceedings were already under way. The immediate judicial action followed the alleged assault on police personnel and the subsequent examination of witnesses present at the scene.
The case now adds a separate legal proceeding to the original matter involving Bashir. His initial appearance before the court had concerned the CR case for which he was seeking bail, while the new proceedings relate to the alleged conduct inside the courtroom and the injuries sustained by the police personnel during the confrontation.
