Lawyer killed as Chinmoy followers clash with cops in Chattogram
A lawyer has been killed as followers of Bangladesh Sanmilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari have engaged in a clash with lawyers and law enforcement agency members in Chattogram.
The incident took place in the afternoon on Wednesday. The president of Chattogram lawyers association, Najim Uddin, told Prothom Alo that the demonstrators hacked the lawyer to death near his chamber.
The deceased is Saiful Islam alias Alif, 35, an assistant public prosecutor and son of Jamal Uddin from Chunti of Lohagara. Physicians pronounced him dead around 4:30 pm when he was taken to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Eight other people are receiving treatment at the hospital for their injuries sustained during the clash. The injured include Sribash Das, Sharku Das, Chhoton, Sujit Ghosh, Utpal Ghosh, and Enamul Haque, while another critically injured individual remains unidentified. Meanwhile, the General Hospital of the city provided first aid to 19 more injured people.
Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who was arrested on charge of sedition, was denied bail in a court in Chattogram around 12:30pm. When he was being taken to the prison from the court, his followers blocked the prison van, and started demonstrating there.
The prison van could not leave the court premises despite combined efforts of the police, BGB, and army men to clear its way. Around 2:45pm, they exploded sound grenades, fired tear gas shells, and charged batons to disperse the demonstrators. It led to spells of chase and counter chase between the two sides.
When the prison van was eventually leaving the premises, the followers of Chinmoy engaged in a clash with the cops and lawyers. Md Hasan, a lawyer who witnessed the incident, said the demonstrators hacked lawyer Alif on the spot during the chase and counter chase and clashes between the two sides. He was later taken to the hospital.
Nibedita Ghosh, an emergency ward physician of the CMCH, said seven to eight people were taken to the hospital with injuries, and one of them was found dead.
Asked about the issue, Liyakat Ali, deputy commissioner of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP), said, “One has died, but we are yet to know how it happened.”
Until the filing of this report around 6:00 pm, lawyers were demonstrating in the court area, protesting the murder. They also called a work abstention programme on Wednesday.