Staff Correspondent:

A Chattogram court has officially recorded the arrest of Sanatani Jagaran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Das in the murder case of lawyer Saiful Islam, who was hacked and beaten to death in November last year.

Following an application from the investigating officer, Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate SM Alauddin Mahmud granted the order during a virtual hearing on Monday morning.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, Mofiz Uddin, confirmed the development. “The investigating officer applied to show Chinmoy Das arrested in the Kotwali police station murder case. The court approved the application following the hearing.

No legal representative was present for Chinmoy Das during the hearing. His lawyer, Subhashish Sharma, could not be reached despite repeated attempts for comment.

Security was visibly tightened in and around the Chattogram court premises ahead of the virtual hearing. Only lawyers and individuals directly involved in ongoing trials were allowed to enter the court building. Additional security was also deployed in front of Chattogram Central Jail.

The murder occurred on 26 November 2023, during violent clashes over bail proceedings for Chinmoy Das. Lawyer Saiful Islam was brutally assaulted and later died from multiple injuries. His father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case naming 31 individuals. Besides the murder case, five other cases were lodged in connection with attacks on police, obstruction of public duty, assault on lawyers and trial seekers, and the explosion of crude bombs.

To date, police have arrested 51 individuals across the six cases. Of them, 21 have been arrested specifically for their alleged involvement in Saiful Islam’s murder.

According to court sources, three accused—Chandan Das, Ripon Das, and Rajiv Bhattacharya—have already given confessional statements under Section 164. In his statement, Ripon Das admitted to hitting the victim with a baton on the neck, while Chandan Das confessed to delivering a blow with a sharp weapon. They further stated that 15 to 20 attackers beat the lawyer to death with sticks, bricks, batons, and bladed weapons while he lay on the road.

Chinmoy Das was first arrested on 25 November in a separate case filed under the Digital Security Act and sedition charges for allegedly insulting the national flag. The case, filed by Firoz Khan—then general secretary of BNP’s Chandgaon Mohra ward—named Chinmoy and 19 others. He was later expelled from the BNP.

According to police, applications have also been submitted to show Chinmoy Das arrested in three additional cases related to attacks on police officers and disruption of court proceedings. The court is expected to hold hearings on those applications on Tuesday.