Lawyer Saiful Led Attack on Chhinnmoy Supporters in Sebokpally of Harijan community (video)

Ajay Bangali

A new twist has emerged following the viral video footage of lawyer Saiful’s murder. Analysis of the footage shows that he led the attack on Chinmoy’s supporters in Sebokpally.

On Tuesday, the Chattogram courthouse was heated all day due to a sedition case against Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson for the Sanatan Jagaron Jot and head of Pundrik Dham. When the court rejected his bail application and sent him to jail, Chinmoy’s supporters who had gathered outside the courthouse blocked the prison van carrying him. In response, the police used sound grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

As Chinmoy’s supporters attempted to leave the court premises, they were met with baton charges and, during this chaos, Jamaat-e-Islami lawyers joined the fray and began attacking Chinmoy’s supporters. This led to a clash between the two groups. At one point, a group of Jamaat-Shibir workers, led by lawyer Saiful Islam, attacked Chinmoy’s supporters in the Harijan Colony (Sebokpally), but they were counter-attacked. Saiful Islam slipped and fell, and was severely beaten.

Later, seven injured individuals, including Saiful Islam, were taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where Saiful was declared dead by the on-duty doctors.

A video of the incident, captured from the roof of a nearby building, has gone viral on social media. In the video, several individuals are seen running out of Sebokpally while being chased by a group of young men. Saiful, who was part of the group being chased, was caught, brutally beaten, and attacked with machetes.

Police have identified seven individuals involved in the killing of Saiful Islam, and three separate cases have been filed against those involved in the attack on police officers at the courthouse. A total of 79 individuals have been named as accused in these cases, and more than 1,400 unidentified individuals have also been included. Along with the seven identified individuals, 30 others arrested the previous night are also facing charges.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Raish Uddin confirmed that the process of filing a case for the lawyer’s murder is ongoing. He also stated that the names of the arrested suspects have not yet been disclosed.

Saiful’s family has reportedly not filed a complaint yet, and the body was being taken to Lohagara for burial. The family plans to file a formal complaint and pursue legal action on Thursday.

Political Identity Sparks Confusion

While Jamaat-e-Islami’s Amir Dr. Shafiqur Rahman claimed that Saiful Islam was one of their workers, it has been revealed that Saiful was listed as a lawyer affiliated with the BNP. According to a Facebook post by BNP member Nabil Ershad Khan, Saiful Islam’s name was on the list of BNP lawyers. Other sources, however, suggest that Saiful was once involved with the student wing of Jamaat but later joined BNP, hiding his political affiliation.

This situation has sparked debate, with a fact-checking organization ‘Fact Detector’ confirming Saiful’s ties to BNP. Additionally, it was reported that after Saiful’s funeral, Jamaat lawyers set fire to the office of the Court Clerk Association, reacting to a post made by some of their members supporting ISKCON.