Prime suspect in lawyer Saiful’s murder arrested in Kishoreganj

“Chandan arrived at Bhairab Rail Station on a train from Chattogram around 7:30pm and was wandering around the train station,” law enforcers say

Police have arrested Chandan Das, the prime suspect in the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, who was killed when a protest against the jail order for Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest and minority community leader, turned violent in Chattogram.

Chandan was detained from the Bhairab Rail Station in Kishoreganj around 11:45pm on Wednesday, according to Md Shaheen Mia, chief of Bhairab Police Station.

He is currently in the custody of Bhairab police.

A team of police went to the rail station based on a tip-off, OC Shaheen said. Chandan is being prepared for transfer to Chattogram.

“A team of detectives from Chattogram have been in Bhairab for the past two days in an attempt to catch Chandan,” Shaheen said. “When they informed us, I took a police team to the station and took up positions.”

“Chandan arrived at Bhairab Rail Station on a train from Chattogram around 7:30pm and was wandering around the train station. He was to head to his in-laws’ house in Bhairab’s Metharpatti later on in the night.”

Chinmoy, a spokesman for the Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote, or United Hindu Awakening Alliance, has been part of protests against alleged attacks on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5. He was then arrested at Dhaka airport on Nov 25 on charges of sedition.

The news of his arrest sparked protests across several districts, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Khulna, Dinajpur, and Cox’s Bazar, which continued late into the night of Nov 25.

Chinmoy was transported from Dhaka to Chattogram that evening. The following day, a Chattogram judge denied him bail and ordered him sent to jail.

Members of the Hindu community surrounded the prison van on the Chattogram court premises in protest.

Police removed the protesters by throwing sound grenades and took him to prison following demonstrations on the court premises from 12:15pm to 3:45pm.

During the protest, several motorcycles and vehicles on Court Road were damaged, as glass shards littered the second floor of the Court Mosque Complex, where lawyers' chambers are located.

The demonstration sparked clashes between protestors and lawyers and staff. Saiful was killed during the skirmishes on the Rangam Convention Hall road.

Police have filed three cases in connection with the violence, vandalism and obstruction of police duties outside the court premises on Nov 26. The cases accuse 76 named suspects and another 1,400 unidentified suspects.

On Nov 30, the family of slain lawyer Saiful filed a murder case against 31 people. Saiful's brother, Khan Alam, filed a separate case naming 116 people over the attacks and vandalism targeting lawyers.

Thus far, police have arrested 39 people in connection with these cases.