The police clashed with the followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jot, in the Chittagong court premises during the bail hearing of Hindu extremist organization ISKCON leader and spokesperson.
At that time, unidentified persons on the ground floor of the court took a lawyer named Saiful Islam Alif (35) to the nearby jungle cinema lane and hacked him to death.
The authorities declared him dead when he was taken to Chittagong Medical College (CHMEC) hospital on Tuesday (November 26) afternoon with serious injuries.
Director of Chittagong Medical College Hospital Brigadier General Taslim Uddin confirmed this information.
He said, ‘maybe Saiful died on the spot. After being brought to the hospital, the doctors on duty declared him dead.
Chittagong Medical College authorities said that seven to eight people were injured in that clash and are currently admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
However, the police said that the number of injured is more.
Alif is the son of Jamal Uddin of Chunati area of Lohagara Upazila of Chittagong.
Confirming the matter, Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fazlul Quader said that a young man named Didar brought the lawyer to the hospital. After that, doctors working in the emergency department of the hospital declared him dead.
He said that the body of the deceased has been kept in the emergency department of the hospital.
Eyewitnesses said that on the ground floor of the court, unidentified persons took him to the adjoining jungle cinema lane and hacked him to death after beating him.
Earlier, on Tuesday (November 26), Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested from the capital Dhaka, was produced in the court in the case of desecration of the national flag at the Independence Pillar at Kotwali police station’s Newmarket intersection. When his lawyers applied for bail, Judge Kazi Shariful Islam of the Chittagong 6th Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court refused bail and sent him to prison after the hearing.
Soon after this order, the devotees of Chinmoy Krishna Das erupted in protest outside the assembly. After that, they started protesting outside the assembly for about half an hour. At around 12:30 p.m., when he was taken out of the jail and taken to the prison van under tight security, the protesters started protesting by sitting in front of the prison van.
A group of Chinmoy Krishna’s followers and lawyers gathered in the court premises shortly after 12 noon. At this time, a large number of members of law and order forces are seen standing silently. After they detained the prison van for about three hours, the police went into action around 3 pm. The police resorted to tear shells, sound grenades and lathi charge to disperse the protesters.
Eyewitnesses said that strict security measures were taken to produce Chinmoy Das in the court. A large number of police, BGB and armed policemen were deployed in the court neighborhood since morning. At that time, when strictness was imposed to enter the court, the fallen Awami cadres systematically gathered in the court and surrounding areas under the cover of the traditional community. As a result, when the court denied bail to Chinmoy Krishna, they erupted into protests and an anarchic situation was created. Vandalism is carried out indiscriminately. Mosques were attacked and innocent worshipers were injured. Muslims are targeted for abuse and attacks aimed at communal incitement. Along with this, they try to kidnap Chinmoy Krishna by blocking the prison van. At this time, they started chanting slogans like ‘Jai Sriram’, ‘Dalaler gale gale, juta maro tale tale’, ‘jail tala bhangb, Chinmoy prabhuke anbo’, ‘Kurukshetra’s tool, let it roar again’. In spite of their planned provocative activities, the law and order forces remained completely calm. Tell them to leave. But nothing seemed to work. At one point, the law enforcement officers dispersed them with mild batons and lobbed gas canisters.
The Awami cadres who appeared there under the cover of Sanatani became more reckless and started selectively attacking common passers-by. At one stage, Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was extremely angry and severed his legs from the body in the street in front of Rangam Tower. After he was taken to Chamek Hospital in a critical condition, the doctor on duty declared him dead.
It is to be noted that Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested from the airport area of the capital on Monday (November 25) around 4:30 pm in the case of desecration of the national flag at the Independence Pillar at Newmarket intersection of Kotwali police station.
Later on Tuesday morning, he was taken to Chittagong and handed over to the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP). Then he was taken to the Chittagong court at around 11 o’clock.
19 people including Chinmoy Das were accused in this case. The defendants in the case are Chandan Kumar Dhar Prakash Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, principal of Pundarik Dham Temple, Ajay Dutta (34), coordinator of Chittagong Hindu Jagran Manch, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari (48), head of ISKCON Temple, promoter of the city, Gopal Das Tipu (38), Dr. Kathak Das (40), Engineer Amit Dhar (38), Roni Das (38), Rajeev Das (32), Krishna Kumar Dutta (52), Jiku Chowdhury (40), Newton de Bobby (38), Tushar Chakraborty Rajeev (28) ), Mithun Dey (35), Rupan Dhar (35), Rimon Dutt (28), Sukant Dash (28), Biswajit Gupta (42), Rajesh Chowdhury (28) and Hridoy Das (25). Rimon Dutta (28), Sukant Das (28), Biswajit Gupta (42), Rajesh Chowdhury (28) and Hriday Das (25).
In the statement of claim, the plaintiff alleged that after the mass uprising in Bangladesh on August 5, anti-discrimination students hoisted a national flag on the pillar at Zero Point at Newmarket intersection in the city, which is still there. On October 25, a mass gathering was held at Laldighi ground under the initiative of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagran Manch. Thousands of people from different areas of Chittagong Division joined the rally. On that day, Chandan Kumar Dhar along with 9 defendants, the rest of the defendants hoisted the ocher colored religious flag of the religious group ISKCON over the national flag of Bangladesh and placed it there on the zero point pillar of Newmarket intersection. This caused widespread anger among the common citizens.