A lawyer was killed and several others were injured in the violent clashes following the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. As per reports, a group of protestors clashed with lawyers and law enforcement officials at the court premises. As the violence intensified, the monk was sent to prison from the Chittagong court.
The deceased has been identified as Saiful Islam Alif, an Assistant Public Prosecutor. Initial reports had identified Saiful Islam Alif as the lawyer defending the monk. But later it was clarified that he was in fact the public prosecutor appearing against Chinmoy Krishna Das. Saiful Islam Alif was reportedly grabbed from his chambers and beaten. He was later declared dead at the hospital, Prothomalo reported.
Dr. Nibedita Ghosh, the duty doctor at the emergency department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, confirmed the information, stating, “The injured are receiving treatment at the hospital.”
The injured individuals are Sribas Das, Sharku Das, Choton, Sujit Ghosh, Utpal, and Enamul Haque.
Bangladesh is convulsed with a fresh wave of violence after Islamists ran riot against ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, an eminent personality championing the rights of minorities.
On Monday, November 25, Bangladesh Police arrested a Hindu leader and ISKCON monk, plunging the strife-torn country into a new crisis months following the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina after the murderous takeover by Islamist rioters. Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Hindu priest and prominent leader of Bangladesh’s religious minority, was arrested in Dhaka. Das was among the foremost leaders advocating for the safeguarding of minority rights in the predominantly Muslim nation.
The arrest comes in the wake of protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur, approximately 300 kilometres north of Dhaka, calling for stronger legal safeguards and the establishment of a dedicated ministry for minority affairs.
