FM MIZANUR RAHAMAN

With the bail hearing in a sedition case set for January 2, uncertainty looms over the legal representation of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari.

The complications arose after a lawyer named Saiful Islam Alif was killed amid clashes between Chinmoy’s supporters and police in the court area when Chinmoy was denied bail on November 26.

Saiful’s father later filed a murder case, while his brother started a case on charges related to explosives, attacks on justice-seekers and vandalism. Police also filed three cases and arrested dozens of people over the deadly violence.

Many of the nearly 60 counsels who had argued for Chinmoy during the hearing on November 26 have been made accused in the case filed by Saiful’s brother.

The Daily Star contacted six of these lawyers and another who stood for Chinmoy.

They said that although there is no direct threat, they would not represent Chinmoy in court on January 2 since they came under attack on social media.

Chattogram District Bar Association said it asked its members not to defend the accused in the Saiful murder case, but there was no bar on them to represent the accused in any other case.

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