Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson for the “Sanatani Jagaran Jote” has been shown arrested in a case filed over the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate SM Alauddin passed the order on Monday following a virtual hearing, according to Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury.
He added that Chinmoy Das was presented virtually from prison during the hearing. The prosecution argued the necessity of formally showing him arrested. After the hearing, the judge granted the request.
On Sunday, police filed petitions to show Chinmoy as arrested in four cases: the Alif murder case, obstruction of police duties, and two other cases involving attacks on lawyers and justice seekers.
However, only the murder case was heard on Monday; hearings for the remaining three are scheduled for Tuesday.
With this latest development, Chinmoy now faces legal proceedings in a total of five cases.
Law enforcement agencies have stated that, depending on the progress of the investigation, they may seek remand for further interrogation.
Chinmoy’s legal team has claimed that he is being harassed for political reasons.
Officials of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police have said that appropriate action will be taken based on the progress of the investigation.
Chinmoy was initially arrested on 25 November last year in Dhaka in a sedition case filed over the alleged “desecration of the national flag.”
Although the High Court granted him permanent bail last week in that case, the state filed an appeal with the Appellate Division seeking a stay on the bail order. However, Sunday’s scheduled hearing was postponed due to the death of a senior Supreme Court lawyer.
The investigating officer of the Alif murder case, filed at Chattogram’s Kotwali Police Station, submitted the application to show Chinmoy as arrested on Sunday.
On 26 November last year, following Chinmoy’s bail denial by a Chattogram court, clashes broke out between his supporters and law enforcement on the court premises. Protesters vandalised several vehicles on the road in front of the court.
To bring the situation under control, police fired sound grenades to disperse the crowd and sent Chinmoy to jail.
Amid the chaos, lawyer Alif was brutally attacked and hacked to death with sharp weapons on the road near the Rongom Convention Hall.
Three days later, on 29 November, Alif’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case with Kotwali Police Station. The case named Chinmoy and 30 others, with 15 to 16 unidentified suspects also listed.