A lawyer was killed and six others injured during clashes between the law enforcement agencies, lawyers, and followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sommilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, in Chittagong.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam, also known as Alif, 35, an assistant public prosecutor (APP). Saiful hailed from Chunati in Lohagara and was the son of Jamal Uddin.
Dr Nibedita Ghosh, duty doctor at the emergency department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, confirmed the development to Dhaka Tribune. “The injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital.”
The injured are Sribas Das, Sharku Das, Choton, Sujit Ghosh, Utpal, and Enamul Haque.
Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, president of the Chittagong Lawyers' Association, said that protesters dragged a lawyer from beneath his chamber and hacked him to death.
On Tuesday afternoon, the clash erupted after court ordered Chinmoy to be sent to jail.
During the proceedings, Chinmoy Krishna's defence team submitted a bail application.
However, after a hearing, the court rejected the plea and ordered his immediate transfer to jail.
The court also instructed the jail authorities to provide him with divisional facilities and allow adherence to his religious practices, following a petition from his lawyers.
After the court order, law enforcement agencies, including police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and the army, were unable to move the prison van out of the court premises to the jail.
As he was being taken away in a police van, Chinmoy Krishna addressed the crowd through a hand mike, urging them to remain calm and avoid actions that could destabilize the state.
Around 2:45pm, the law enforcement agencies resorted to sound grenades, tear gas shells, and baton charges, dispersing the protesters.
This led to a series of chases and counter-chases. Later, as the prison van carrying Chinmoy Krishna was being transported to jail, further confrontations occurred between his followers, police, and lawyers.
Mohammad Hasan, a lawyer who witnessed the events, said that amidst the clashes, the protesters attacked Alif with sharp weapons. He was later taken to the hospital.
When asked for comments, Deputy Commissioner of City Police Liaquat Ali confirmed one death but said they were still investigating the cause.
At 6pm, lawyers protested at the court premises against the murder and have called for a work abstention on Wednesday.
On Monday afternoon, Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari was detained from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in the capital.
He faces a sedition case at Kotwali police station, and he was arrested in connection with that case.
The sedition case stems from a public rally held by Sanatani Jagran Jote at Chittagong's Laldighi Maidan on October 25. The case filed on October 30, named Chinmoy Krishna and 19 others.
