The crowd had gathered to show support for five lawyers who were arrested during a candlelight virgil held on May 7.

The five Bar Council Legal Aid Centre (KL) lawyers, who were arrested last week, were reporting to the police station to find out if they will be charged.

The lawyers are Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, Murnie Hidayah Anuar, Puspawati Rosman, Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal and Syuhaini Safwan.

Apart from Puspawati, all four turned up with their lawyers — Latheefa Koya, N Surendran, Ravi Nekoo and Lim Chee Wei.

The five lawyers were arrested alongside Bersih activists, who held a candlelight vigil for Wong, on May 7.

Wong was detained on May 5 for sedition. The activist was alleged to have urged Malaysians to wear black in the 1BlackMalaysia campaign to protest the Barisan Nasional takeover of Perak in February.

Three Bar Council lawyers were allowed in to negotiate before Brickfields OCPD ASP Wan Abdul Bahari Wan Khalid came out with a loud speaker to disperse the crowd.

However, after some 20 minutes, the lawyers — N Surendran and Bar vice president Lim — emerged to say that the five will not be charged.
At a short press conference after that, Lim reiterated the Bar Council’s stand for the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission.

At a press conference inside the police station later, the Brickfields police chief expressed surprise over the appearance of the five lawyers and 15 others.

According to him, the police had informed lawyer M Puravelan, who represented all those arrested, that no action would be taken and they need not report back.

"What happened today should not have happened. The police have contacted the Bar Council yesterday at 5.15pm and talked to Puravelan," Wan Ahmad told reporters.

"I have told him they do not have to come because we do not need them anymore to assist us in the investigation.

"So I do not understand why they are here today."