A Chittagong court has granted remand for two individuals, including the prime suspect, in connection with the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
The accused are identified as Chandan Das, 35, the primary suspect, and Ripon Das, 27.
Special Magistrate Court Judge Kazi Shariful Islam approved the remand after a hearing at 3:30pm on Friday, said Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan, Public Prosecutor (PP) Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.
CMP's Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Mofiz Uddin, said: “Police presented Chandan and Ripon before the court in the lawyer Alif murder case and sought a 10-day remand. After the hearing, the court granted a seven-day remand for Chandan Das and a five-day remand for Ripon Das. Both have been sent to jail.”
The accused were brought to court under tight security, with law enforcement ensuring a heightened presence throughout the court premises and surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, after the remand application was granted, lawyers gathered in the court building premises, raising slogans demanding the death penalty for the perpetrators.
They also called for a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) during their protests.
Chandan Das, the primary suspect, was arrested from Bhairab Railway Station on Thursday and handed over to the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
During the same evening, based on a tip-off, police arrested Ripon Das from Anwara upazila of Chittagong.
Although Ripon was not initially named in the case, video footage of the murder identified him as a suspect.
Police said that in the viral video of the incident, Chandan, wearing an orange T-shirt, black pants, and a helmet, was seen assaulting lawyer Saiful with a knife. Ripon, wearing a blue shirt and holding a knife, was also captured in the footage.
Protests erupted on the premises of a Chittagong court on November 26 after it denied bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for Sanatani Jagaran Jote and a former Iskcon leader, and sent him to jail following his arrest in a sedition case.
Chinmoy’s followers clashed with police, leading to widespread vandalism in and around the court area.
During the chaos, Assistant Public Prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was brutally hacked to death.
Police later identified several perpetrators using video footage.
A total of five cases, including one for murder, were filed over the incidents. Police filed three of these cases themselves.
In connection to Saiful’s murder, his father Jamal Uddin lodged a case at Kotwali police station, naming 31 individuals and accusing 10-15 unidentified others.
