Eminent lawyer ZI Khan Panna, who backed the student protesters during the mass uprising, has been made an accused in a case over the attempted murder of a demonstrator in the capital.

Panna was among the Supreme Court lawyers who stood for a writ petitioner at the High Court on July 29, seeking orders to stop the use of bullets on the protesters.

He was also a member of a citizen's commission formed to investigate human rights violations and loss of lives during the protests.

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It’s unacceptable

Yet, the rights activist now finds himself among the 180 accused in the case filed with Khilgaon Police Station over the shooting of a protester.

The plaintiff, 52-year-old Mohammad Baker, sells vegetables on a rickshaw van in Banasree area. He filed the case on October 17 over the shooting of his son Ahadul Islam, 25.

Baker, however, said he did not know Panna and how his name ended up in the list of accused.

"A lawyer named Jashim and some other people made the list and I just signed the First Information Report [FIR]," Baker told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

"I wanted justice for my son. So, I sought their help to file the case," he said.

Baker added he had no details of lawyer Jashim. Several attempts by this newspaper to reach the lawyer failed.

According to the case statement, Ahadul and others were protesting near Meradia Bazar on July 19 afternoon when "many of the named accused along with other unnamed BGB, police personnel and Awami League leaders and activists opened fire at the behest of some other accused".

Ahadul suffered bullet wounds in the left leg and was beaten up as he fell on the ground, according to the case dossier. He later took treatment at multiple hospitals, Baker said in the FIR.

The other accused include Obaidul Quader, former road transport and bridges minister; Asaduzzaman Khan, former home minister; and Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Daud Hossain, officer-in-charge of Khilgaon Police Station, said they were investigating the case to check if the allegations were true.

Panna recently criticised the interim government on various issues, including Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's remarks about a fresh start, and the cancellation of March 7 and several other national days. He also slammed the wholesale filing of murder cases across the country over killings during the uprising.

Talking about the case against him yesterday, Panna told reporters that he would fight the case legally as a lawyer.

He also said many might have been hurt by his direct criticism of some "mistakes" of the interim government. They could not tolerate the criticism and their feelings led to the filing of the case, said Panna.

Speaking to The Daily Star later, Panna said he had nothing to say about the "false case because he was wrongly implicated".

"I don't want to see anyone implicated in a false case…," he said.

Panna said he was against the quota system in government jobs all along, even before the students started the quota reform movement.

"I was connected to the movement until the end [of the AL regime] on August 5. Then why would I do such a thing [like being involved in the shooting on July 19] at Sheikh Hasina's directive?" asked Panna.

He sees his implication in the case as an ill attempt to shield the real culprits behind the incident.

The lawyer also said he filed a petition with the High Court, seeking anticipatory bail in the case. The court is set to hear the petition today.

Ain O Salish Kendra, of which Panna is the chairperson, and several other rights groups condemned the inclusion of Panna in the list of accused in the case.

Panna was one of the SC lawyers who stood by the six coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement when they were unlawfully detained by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police for several days in late July.

The detectives were forced to release the coordinators on August 1.

Panna was a member of the National Mass Inquiry Commission formed by noted citizens on July 29 to probe gross violations of laws, human rights and loss of lives by the law enforcers during the mass protests.

The rights activist was one of the 30 lawyers who on July 21 issued a statement condemning the use of excessive and disproportionate force on the student protesters.

After the political changeover, he criticised the interim government for suspending an assistant commissioner in Lalmonirhat on October 7 because of her Facebook post slating the government.