Lawyers across the country yesterday observed a mourning day as nine people were killed in the suicide bomb attacks.

The Awami League-led 14-party opposition combine has extended its support to the first ever call by a lawyers' body for a countrywide shutdown.

The SCBA executives led by its President Mahbubey Alam called the strike after an emergency general meeting at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The lawyers body sought support of the political parties, civil society members and people from all walks of life to make today's general strike a success.

Lawyers meanwhile staged demonstrations, held meetings, wore black badges and hoisted black flags on all bar premises across the country yesterday.

Mahbubey Alam said the SCBA, as the apex organisation of the lawyers, has called the hartal to protect the lawyers, the constitution, the judiciary and to establish the rule of law.

He said the lawyers will gather on the SC premises in the morning, hold a meeting and take out processions in the city.

"All the professionals' bodies, including Bangladesh Bar Council, civil society members, human rights activists and the 14-party combine have expressed solidarity with our programmes. They will remain on the streets during the hartal hours," he added.

The SCBA yesterday held a mourning meeting chaired by its president at the south hall of the SCBA building.

Lawyers at the meeting demanded that the government properly compensate the families of the victims of the bomb attacks.

Sammilita Ainjibi Samannay Parishad (SASP), a forum of pro-opposition lawyers, has also backed the hartal call at the meeting.

Its convener Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam said fundamentalist and extremist forces are carrying out irreligious activities in the name of religion for several years.

"Investigations must be conducted to ferret out whether there are people in the government, even in the cabinet, who are patronising the extremists," he said.

The lawyers expressed sympathy to the victims' families and prayed for peace of the departed souls.

Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) President AAMS Arefin Siddique, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUA) President Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, SASP Member Secretary Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, SCBA Secretary Advocate M Enayetur Rahim, Advocate Shah Zahurul Haque, among others, addressed the mourning meeting.

Lawyers of Dhaka Bar Association irrespective of groups also brought out mourning processions and held meetings yesterday to protest the attacks.

Beefed up security measures have been taken in and around the Dhaka court in the wake of the attacks.

Lawyers, litigants and other officials were permitted to enter the court premises after inspection by metal detectors, while outsiders were not permitted to enter.

Meanwhile, Awami League acting general secretary Obaidul Kader in a statement said nine were killed and scores injured in Tuesday's attacks orchestrated by Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh "under the patronage of BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government".

"Corruption, looting, politicisation, terrorism, killings and misrule of the government must be dissolved. The movement to resist militant attacks and uproot communal forces should be turned into a mass upsurge," said the AL leader.