Chinmoy Das, spokesperson for Sanatani Jagran Jote, has been officially shown arrested in the murder case of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate SM Alauddin passed the order on Monday, following a police petition submitted the previous evening. Assistant Public Prosecutor Rayhanul Wazed Chowdhury confirmed the court’s decision.
Citing security concerns, Chinmoy appeared virtually from jail during the 9:30 AM hearing. He is already in custody in a sedition case filed with Kotwali Police Station over alleged desecration of the national flag during a political rally.
Lawyer Saiful Islam was hacked and beaten to death on November 26, 2023, during a clash related to Chinmoy’s bail hearing. The victim’s father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case naming 31 individuals. In total, six cases have been filed related to the incident, involving charges such as attacking police, disrupting court proceedings, assaulting lawyers, and setting off crude bombs. Police have so far arrested 51 people, 21 of whom are directly charged with murder.
Court records show three accused—Chandan Das, Ripon Das, and Rajiv Bhattacharya—have confessed. Ripon said he struck the victim’s neck with a baton, while Chandan used a machete. The confessions describe how 15–20 attackers beat the lawyer to death with sticks, bricks, and sharp weapons.
Previously, BNP leader Firoz Khan had filed a sedition case against Chinmoy and 19 others on October 31, 2023. Chinmoy was arrested in that case on November 25 from Dhaka.
Police have also requested to show Chinmoy arrested in three more related cases. Hearings for those petitions are scheduled for Tuesday.
