Charges framed against 39 including Chinmoy Das, testimony to begin on February 2

The court has formally framed charges against a total of 39 accused, including Sanatani Jagran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das, in the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chittagong. On Monday (January 20) morning, Chittagong Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Md. Zahidul Haque passed the order after reviewing the case file, charge sheet, CCTV footage and confessional statements of the accused. At the same time, the date for taking testimony in the case was fixed for February 2.

Out of the 39 accused in the case, 23 are currently in jail. These 23 remanded accused, including Chinmoy Krishna Das, were produced in court under tight security on Monday. According to court sources, the remaining 16 accused are still absconding.

The court framed charges against Chinmoy Krishna Das under sections 302/109 of the Penal Code and against the other accused under sections 147/448/449/302/34. Chinmoy Das himself presented his statement to the court for about 25 minutes during the charge framing hearing. In addition, advocate Dulal Chandranath for the absconding accused and lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya for Chinmoy Das presented their arguments.

After the judicial proceedings, when Chinmoy Krishna Das was taken out of the courtroom, a tense situation arose in the court premises. A large section of the lawyers present started chanting slogans of 'murderer, murderer' at him. The police took quick action to bring the situation under control and the accused were removed from the court premises under tight security.

State lawyer and Assistant Public Prosecutor Md. Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury said that this is a sensitive, discussed and sensational murder case. The country's legal community, people seeking justice, communal harmony and the security of the state are directly involved in this case. He expressed optimism that the charges brought against the accused will be proven beyond doubt based on the evidence presented and justice will be established.

The father of the deceased lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was present in the court premises during the hearing. He told reporters, "We want a fair trial for this brutal murder from the government. Our only hope is justice."

Unprecedented security measures were taken in the court area around the hearing of the case. Along with 1,000 police personnel, the army, BGB and RAB were deployed to maintain law and order. General traffic was stopped from Kotwali intersection to the main gate of the court and Cinema Palace intersection. Only lawyers and concerned officials were allowed to enter the court premises subject to verification of identity cards.

It is worth noting that tension spread in the Chittagong court area after Chinmoy Das' bail application was rejected on November 26, 2024. When his followers began protesting around the prison van, the police and BGB used lathicharge and sound grenades to control the situation. In that heated situation, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was hacked and beaten to death, which caused a huge stir across the country.