A temporary special court, established on the Alia Madrasa grounds in Bakshibazar, Old Dhaka, was vandalized and set on fire. The incident occurred late Wednesday night, as confirmed by the fire service.

Rosina Akter, an officer on duty at the fire service control room, told *Prothom Alo* on Thursday afternoon that they received reports of the fire at 3:10 AM. However, fire service personnel faced obstruction upon reaching the scene, preventing them from extinguishing the flames. Later, at around 10:15 AM on Thursday, they revisited the site and found the courtroom burnt. They then returned without further action.

The police, however, stated that while the courtroom had been vandalized on several occasions, they had no prior reports of arson occurring the previous night.

At around 1:00 AM on the same night, students of Alia Madrasa blocked the road, demanding the relocation of the temporary special court. The blockade continued for approximately 10 hours and was lifted at 11:00 AM on Thursday.

Today, a hearing was scheduled in this court concerning a case related to the 2009 BDR mutiny. Students of Alia Madrasa have been protesting the court’s establishment on their campus grounds, calling for its relocation. The blockade caused significant traffic congestion on nearby roads.

Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Chawkbazar area, told *Prothom Alo* that the students were persuaded to leave the road after being assured they would be allowed to present their demands to the court's judge. The situation is now calm, and police are stationed around the court for security. The judge has resumed court proceedings.

Mahfuzur Rahman also mentioned that the courtroom had been vandalized on previous occasions. 

On the evening of December 31, a group of individuals climbed over the boundary wall of the field, broke into the temporary courtroom, and vandalized furniture. They also set fire to some foam and plastic chairs on the field.

The temporary court was established to address cases related to the February 25–26, 2009, BDR mutiny. The rebellion, which took place at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Pilkhana, resulted in the deaths of 57 army officers, including the then-Director General, Major General Shakil Ahmed. A total of 74 people were killed in the incident, including family members of military officers stationed in Pilkhana.

Following the massacre, separate cases were filed on February 28, 2009, under charges of murder and explosives control. While judgments have been delivered in the murder case by the trial court and High Court, witness hearings in the explosives case are still ongoing in the lower court.