Chattogram lawyer murder: Police arrest Chandan Das, claim he hacked victim with sharp weapon
A suspect in the hacking and beating to death of lawyer Saiful Islam in Chattogram has been arrested. Arrested Chandan Das is a resident of Kotwali Sebak Colony in Chattogram.
Police arrested him on Wednesday night from Bhairab in Kishoreganj while he was on his way to his in-laws’ house in Methorpatti, near the railway station.
Police say Chandan is one of the suspects in the lawyer’s murder case. He is accused of hacking the lawyer with a sharp weapon (kris).
Bhairab police station officer-in-charge Shahin Mia told Prothom Alo on Thursday morning, “Chandan was roaming around the railway station. He was supposed to go to his in-laws’ house that night, but we arrested him before that after receiving a tip-off. He is being taken to Chattogram.”
Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Kazi Tarek Aziz told Prothom Alo that the police arrested Chandan from Bhairab based on secret information. Chandan was seen wearing an orange shirt and black pants in the video footage of the lawyer’s murder.
A clash broke out at the court premises on 26 November over the rejection of bail for Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who had been arrested in a sedition case. During the clash, lawyer Saiful Islam was beaten and hacked to death.
Saiful’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case, naming 31 individuals as accused in the incident. Additionally, five other cases were filed for assaulting the police, obstruction of work, assaulting lawyers and trial seekers, and the explosion of cocktails. A total of 40 people have been arrested in six cases, including 10 on charges related to the murder.
Additional Public Prosecutor in Chattogram city Nezam Uddin resigned on Monday amid protests by lawyers after he filed a plea for two accused arrested in a case of assault on police and obstruction of justice.
Citing a 52-second video footage collected by the police from the scene, investigation officials said Om Das, Chandan, and Ranab attacked lawyer Saiful with sharp weapons, while others continued to beat him. There were 25-30 other people present, most of whom were cleaners.