Lawyer killed in clash between police and Chinmoy supporters | Chinmoy Followers Clash With Police In Ctg; lawyer murdered

A lawyer was killed and ten others, including several journalists, were injured in a clash between police and followers of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari at the Chattogram Court Building yesterday.

The clashes began shortly before noon after a court sent him to jail after rejecting his bail plea in a sedition case.

The deceased, 32-year-old Saiful Islam, was a member of the Chattogram District Bar Association. Doctors at Chittagong Medical College Hospital declared him dead around 4 p.m., said Nurul Islam, in-charge of CMCH Police Outpost.

Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, president of Chattogram District Bar Association, eyewitnesses told The Daily Star, “During the clash, some Chinmoy followers dragged Saiful to the Rangam Convention Hall around 3.30 pm and attacked him with sharp weapons.”

Mohammad Didar, an employee of Golam Rasul Market, who along with some other locals rescued Saiful and took him to hospital, said, “Some Chinmoy followers hacked the lawyer on the road next to Rangam Convention Hall.”

Chinmoy, spokesperson of Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.

On October 31, a case was filed against him and 18 others in Chattogram on charges of disrespecting the national flag.

Kanchan Acharjee, a central leader of the Jagaran Jote, said his organization was not involved in the courthouse violence, adding that those who killed the lawyer should be brought to justice.

Many people from the Hindu community gathered at the courthouse and demonstrated peacefully for Chinmoy’s release, he said.

But law enforcement officers attacked and dispersed them, he said, adding that news of the lawyer’s death came later.

“We have no idea who killed him,” Kanchan said.

BAIL REFUSED, COLLISION

Earlier in the day, Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Shariful Islam sent Chinmoy to jail.

The leader was brought to court around 10:30 am. The court rejected the prayer for his bail after a hearing lasting over an hour.

On court orders, lawyers and followers of Chinmoy erupted in protest outside the courtroom and blocked the prison van’s movement after police placed Chinmoy in the vehicle as they took him to prison.

Senior police officials requested the protesters to clear the road, but they refused to comply.

Chinmoy was heard from the bus calling on his followers to remain calm.

“We are not against the state and the government. We, the Sanatanis, are part of the state…. We will do nothing to destabilize the state and destroy peaceful coexistence. We will have a peaceful protest by controlling our emotions. and turn them into power,” he said.

At 2:50 p.m., members of the BGB and police fired several stun grenades and loaded batons to disperse the demonstrators. Chinmoy’s supporters threw flower pots and stones at the police.

Police had to take Chinmoy to jail in another vehicle because a tire on the bus was punctured, CMP’s deputy commissioner Rais Uddin said.

The protesters destroyed several private vehicles and motorcycles during the incident, police and eyewitnesses said.

In addition, a lawyer’s chamber was vandalized on the ground floor of the courthouse Masjid Complex.

Chattogram District Bar Association has announced that lawyers will refrain from court activities today in protest against Saiful’s killing, Nazim Uddin Chowdhury said.

Of the injured, five were treated at CMCH.

Witnesses said that a group of lawyers, protesting against the chaos and vandalism in the chamber of the Masjid Complex, staged demonstrations on the main road and threw brickbats at Chinmoy’s supporters, who took refuge in various lanes along the road, some around 4 p.m. led to further tensions.

Police later brought the situation under control.

Swarup Kanti Dey, a lawyer at the Chattogram court, said the police attacked the peaceful protesters with batons, which was unexpected.

CHINMOY ARRESTED FOR CLEARING: ASIF

Local government adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said yesterday that Chinmoy was arrested on charges of sedition, not as a leader of any community.

“The government will take strict action against any act of sedition that threatens the sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh. Let it be clear to everyone: no one, regardless of position or influence, will be spared from being involved in such activities,” he said. during an event.

Domestic Advisor Lieutenant General (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said internal and external influences could be behind ISKCON’s issues.

“There are many parties with vested interests that may be behind this scenario. Moreover, the parties banned in the country may be involved in the situation. No matter who, strict action will be taken in this regard,” he told reporters. a meeting with the government officials in Sylhet.

ATTACKS, PROTESTS

Jagaran Jote leader Kanchan Acharjee said a temple in Firingibazar town was vandalized after the killing.

At the capital’s Dhakeshwari temple in the evening, the Jote told a news conference in the evening that law enforcers had to look at CCTV footage to identify the attackers.

Sumon Kumar Roy, one of the leaders, claimed that the Jagaran Jote had learned that the attackers had mistaken Saiful for a Hindu man.

Attacks on several Hindu temples and chambers of Hindu lawyers have been reported in Chattogram, he said.

Earlier in the day, Jagaran Jote demonstrated in Thakurgaon and Dinajpur and denounced the court’s decision to reject his bail application.

Meanwhile, the Minority Rights Movement has called off its rally to protest Chinmoy’s arrest. The organization’s leaders said they could not hold the program at the National Museum in Shahbagh due to security concerns.