DHAKA: At least 30 suspects were detained in Bangladesh’s Chattogram city for their alleged involvement in the killing of a lawyer and attacking security personnel over the arrest of a prominent Hindu community leader, police said on Wednesday.
Assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam, who was in his early 30s, was killed on Tuesday during clashes between security personnel and followers of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote. The violence erupted after Das was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case. Police said Islam was critically wounded in the clashes and rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
According to a police spokesman, 30 people were detained in the port city of Chattogram for their alleged involvement in Islam’s killing and attacking law enforcement agency personnel.
“We are examining their role in the killing of Advocate Saiful Islam and attacking personnel of the law enforcement agencies yesterday (Tuesday) during and following the production of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in the court,” he said.
The spokesperson said the detained individuals would be arrested for trial after initial investigations and more suspects could be arrested if their involvement was found.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police’s additional commissioner Kazi Mohammad Tarek Aziz said the suspects were detained in joint raids overnight by army and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops and police.
Interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday condemned the murder of the lawyer, urging people to keep calm and stay away from participating in any untoward activities.
He directed the authorities to conduct an investigation into the killing and take appropriate legal measures, according to a statement issued by his press wing.
Yunus also ordered the law enforcement agencies to step up security in the port city, including in all the vulnerable neighbourhoods.
“The interim government is committed to ensuring and upholding communal harmony in Bangladesh at any cost,” he said.
Das was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday as he was about to fly to Chattogram to join a rally.
After the court denied him bail and ordered his imprisonment on Tuesday, Das’ followers started to protest, disrupting the movement of the prison van carrying him. Police and eyewitnesses said at least 37 people, including 10 policemen, were wounded after police and BGB troops used batons and sound grenades to disperse the demonstrators who clashed with the security personnel.
Das was also a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which recently expelled him. ISKCON Bangladesh on Tuesday condemned his arrest.
A case was filed against Das and 18 others on October 30 at Chattogram’s Kotwali Police Station leader on the complaint of a leader of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which accused them of disrespecting the national flag in the city’s Laldighi Maidan during a rally of the Hindu community on Oct 25.
Das’ lawyers said they would file a case in a higher court, challenging the Chattogram court’s order.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has also protested Das’ arrest and demanded his immediate release.
PTI