20 held in Chittagong over lawyer killing

Law enforcement on Tuesday detained 20 people in raids in Chittagong in connection with the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif amid clashes over a court order sending Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das to jail.

Kotwali police station Officer-in-Charge Fazlul Kader said the arrests were made during operations in Patharghata Mathar Potti, Andarkilla and Hazari Goli areas from evening until midnight.

Saiful, 35, an assistant public prosecutor, was hacked to death amid clashes between law enforcement, enraged protestors, and supporters of Chinmoy, a former leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) and spokesperson for the Sanatan Jagaran Jote, following the denial of his bail application. He faces charges of sedition.

Security forces continued their operations throughout the city after 10pm. 

However, the police confirmed that no case regarding Saiful Islam's murder had been filed as of Tuesday night.

Chittagong District Bar Association General Secretary Md Nazim Uddin said Saiful Islam's autopsy was completed on Wednesday morning.

His namaz-e-janaza will take place at 10am on the court premises, followed by a second prayer at 11am at the Jamiatul Falah National Mosque grounds. The final prayer will be held after Asr prayers at his family home in Lohagara.

The bar association called for a boycott of the court on Wednesday demanding that the killers of the lawyer be arrested.

Source: UNB