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

• Chinmoy supporters clash with police and lawyers
• The murdered lawyer was an assistant district attorney
• Lawyers in Chattogram are going on strike today

A lawyer was killed during clashes between police and followers of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in the Chattogram Court Building area yesterday.

The clashes that injured at least 10 people began shortly before noon when a court sent Chinmoy to jail and rejected his bail application in a sedition case.

The deceased, 32-year-old Saiful Islam, was a member of the Chattogram District Bar Association.

Quoting eyewitnesses, Chattogram District Bar Association president Nazim Uddin Chowdhury said some people protesting against Chinmoy’s arrest hacked Saiful to death in front of the main gate of the courthouse around 3.30 pm. He was declared dead on arrival at Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 4pm.

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

CMCH director Taslim Uddin told AFP: “He had deep injuries to his head.”

Chief Counsel Professor Muhammad Yunus condemned the murder of the lawyer and ordered an investigation and appropriate legal action.

BAIL REFUSED, COLLISION

Chinmoy was brought to court around 10:30 am. Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Shariful Islam sent him to jail and rejected the prayer for his bail after a hearing lasting over an hour.

After the court order, lawyers supporting him and his followers burst into protest outside the courtroom and stopped the prison van taking Chinmoy to prison. They also punctured a tire on the vehicle.

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, CMP’s Deputy Commissioner Rais Uddin said.

Several cars, motorcycles and a lawyer’s chamber were vandalized on the ground floor of the courthouse Masjid Complex, police and eyewitnesses said.

Chattogram District Bar Association has announced that lawyers will strike today to protest against the killing, Nazim Uddin Chowdhury said.

Around 4 p.m., a group of lawyers began marching to denounce the vandalism and threw brickbats at Chinmoy’s supporters.

Police later brought the situation under control.

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

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

The Jote issued a statement last night saying that the group that killed the lawyer is trying to shift the blame to Hindus.

It demanded a judicial investigation into the murder. When research is conducted in collaboration with international organizations such as the United Nations and other human rights organizations, the facts come to light.

“We believe in peaceful programs and are committed to maintaining stability,” the report said.

Kanchan Acharjee, a central leader of the Jote, told The Daily Star 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.

CHINMOY ARRESTED FOR CLEARING: ASIF

Local government adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said yesterday that Chinmoy was arrested because he was accused of sedition, not as a community leader.

“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, “There are many parties with vested interests who may be behind this. The parties who have been banned may also be involved. No matter who, strict action will be taken in this regard .”

ATTACKS, PROTESTS

At the capital’s Dhakeshwari temple, Sumon Kumar Roy, one of the Jote leaders, said attacks on several temples and chambers of Hindu lawyers have been reported in Chattogram.

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

The Bangladesh Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum has announced a demonstration at the Supreme Court and all district bars across the country at 1pm today in protest against the killing.

In Bandarban, pro-BNP lawyers Jamaat and Shibir announced that they would demonstrate against the killing today.

Meanwhile, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman condemned Saiful’s killing and called him a “beloved party member”.

He demanded strict legal action against those involved.

Shafiqur also urged people not to take the law into their own hands under any circumstances.

“A particular group, siding with a fallen autocrat, is continuously plotting and attempting to destabilize Bangladesh. They try to cause unrest through provocations. Just as their attempts have failed in the past, they will fail again in the future, Insha’Allah.”