Lawyer killed amid clashes in Chattogram
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Senior police officials requested the protesters to clear the way, but they refused to comply.
Chinmoy was heard calling upon his followers to remain calm from inside the bus.
“We are not against the state and the government. We, the Sanatanis, are a part of the state.... We will not do anything to destabilise the state and destroy peaceful coexistence. We will hold a peaceful protest by controlling our emotions and turning them into strength,” he said.
At 2:50pm, members of the BGB and police fired several stun grenades and charged batons to disperse the demonstrators. Chinmoy’s supporters hurled flower pots and brick chips towards police.
Police had to take Chinmoy to the jail in another vehicle, said CMP’s Deputy Commissioner Rais Uddin.
Several cars, motorcycles, and a lawyer’s chamber were vandalised on the ground floor of the Court Building Masjid Complex, said police and eyewitnesses.
Chattogram District Bar Association announced that lawyers will be on strike today to protest the murder, said Nazim Uddin Chowdhury.
Around 4:00pm, a group of lawyers began marching denouncing the vandalism and hurled brickbats towards Chinmoy’s supporters.
Police later brought the situation under control.
Chinmoy, spokesperson for Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Monday.
On October 31, a case was filed against him and 18 others in Chattogram on charges of disrespecting the national flag.
The Jote issued a statement last night, stating the group that killed the lawyer was trying to shift the blame on Hindus.
It demanded a judicial probe into the killing. If an investigation is carried out in collaboration with international organisations such as the United Nations and other human rights organisations, the facts will come out.
“We believe in peaceful programmes and are committed to maintaining the stability,” it said.
Kanchan Acharjee, a central leader of the Jote, told The Daily Star that those who killed the lawyer must be brought to book.
Many people of the Hindu community gathered on the court premises and peacefully demonstrated for Chinmoy’s release, he said.
But law enforcers attacked and dispersed them, he said, adding that the news of the lawyer’s death came later.
“We have no idea who killed him,” Kanchan said.
CHINMOY ARRESTED FOR SEDITION: ASIF
Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan yesterday said Chinmoy was arrested as someone accused of sedition, not as a leader of a community.
“The government will take strict action against any act of sedition that threatens the sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh. Let it be clear to all: no one, regardless of their position or influence, will be spared if involved in such activities,” he said during an event.
Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, “There are many parties with vested interests that may be behind this. The parties which are banned might also be involved. No matter who, stern action will be taken in this regard.”
ATTACKS, PROTESTS
At the Dhakeshwari temple in the capital, Sumon Kumar Roy, one of the Jote leaders, said attacks on several temples and chambers of Hindu lawyers have been reported in Chattogram.
Earlier in the day, Jagaran Jote demonstrated in Thakurgaon and Dinajpur in protest at the court decision to reject Chinmoy’s bail petition.
Bangladesh Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum has announced a demonstration at 1:00pm today in the Supreme Court as well as in all district bar associations across the country, in protest at the murder.
In Bandarban, pro-BNP lawyers, Jamaat, and Shibir announced they would demonstrate today against the killing.
Meanwhile, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman condemned Saiful’s murder, referring to him as a “beloved party member”.
He demanded strict legal action against those involved.
Shafiqur also urged people not to take the law into their own hands under any circumstances.
“A certain group, siding with a fallen autocrat, is continuously conspiring and attempting to destabilise Bangladesh. Through provocations, they aim to create unrest. Just as their attempts have failed in the past, they will fail again in the future, Insha’Allah.”