A court has ordered the start of trial through the formal framing of charges against 39 individuals, including Chinmoy Das, spokesperson of the Sanatani Jagaran Jote, in connection with the hacking and beating to death of lawyer Saiful Islam in Chattogram.
The order was issued today, Monday, by judge Zahidul Haque of the Chattogram Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal following a hearing.
The public prosecutor of the Speedy Trial Tribunal, SUM Nurul Islam, confirmed the order.
Speaking to Prothom Alo he stated, “The court has framed charges against Chinmoy and 39 others and ordered the commencement of trial. Testimony will begin from the next scheduled date.”
In view of the hearing in this high-profile murder case, security was tightened in and around the Chattogram court premises. Search checkpoints were set up at the main gate, resulting in severe traffic congestion across several kilometres surrounding the court area.
At approximately 9:45 am, 23 accused persons, including Chinmoy, were produced before the court from Chattogram Jail under strict security. The remaining 16 accused are absconding.
During the hearing, Chinmoy’s lawyer, advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, submitted an application seeking his client’s discharge from the case, claiming that Chinmoy was innocent.
The prosecution objected to the application. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court framed charges against all 39 accused. Prior to this, the judge read out the charges to the accused present in court.
At that time, Chinmoy Das stated that he was innocent, had no involvement in the incident, and that the charge sheet was defective.
Meanwhile, Saiful Islam’s father, Jamal Uddin, appeared at court. Speaking to Prothom Alo within the court premises, he said, “The court has ordered the start of the trial today, Monday and I am pleased. I want the trial to conclude quickly, so that I may see justice for my son’s murder before I die.”
According to case records, on 1 July last year the investigating officer submitted a charge sheet to the Chattogram court against 38 accused, including Chinmoy Das.
Subsequently, after the complainant raised objections, the court accepted a revised charge sheet on 25 August of the same year against 39 individuals, including accused Sukanta Dutta.
Last month, after the case was deemed ready for trial, it was transferred from the Magistrate’s Court to the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
The murder occurred on 26 November 2024, during clashes surrounding the bail proceedings of Chinmoy Das, spokesperson of the Sanatani Jagaran Jote.
Lawyer Saiful Islam was beaten and hacked to death during the violence. Following the incident, his father Jamal Uddin filed a murder case naming 31 accused.
In addition, five other cases were filed over attacks on police, obstruction of official duties, assaults on lawyers and litigants and the detonation of crude explosives.
Court sources stated that three accused in the Saiful Islam murder case—Chandan Das, Ripon Das, and Rajib Bhattacharjee have given confessional statements before the court.
According to those statements, Ripon Das struck two blows to the lawyer’s neck with a cleaver, while Chandan Das attacked him with a sword.
Subsequently, 15 to 20 individuals allegedly beat and hacked the lawyer—who was wearing a white shirt and black trousers and lying on the road—using sticks, iron rods, bricks, swords and cleavers, resulting in his death. Chinmoy Das was named as an accused in the case as an alleged instigator of the incident.
Separately, on 31 October 2024, Firoz Khan, then general secretary of the Chattogram City Chandgaon thana's Mohra ward BNP, filed a case at Kotwali Police Station accusing Chinmoy Krishna Das and 19 others of sedition for allegedly disrespecting the national flag.
Subsequently, Firoz Khan was relieved of his position within the BNP. In that case, Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested in Dhaka on 25 November.