Bangladesh Lawyer Killed In Clashes Over Hindu Priest's Arrest, Probe Ordered

A lawyer was allegedly killed on Tuesday after clashes in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong over the arrest of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das by the authorities, lawyers said.

"Saiful Islam Alif, a lawyer, was killed in Chittagong," Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, President of Chittagong Bar Association, told ANI over the phone.

The motive of the killing, however, is not clear.

"Saiful Islam Arif was brutally hacked to death," said Ashraf Hossain Razzak, General Secretary of the Chittagong Bar Association.

"Chittagong Bar Association has decided to suspend the court activities on Wednesday in protest of their member killing," Razzak added.

The law enforcement agencies are on high alert across the country amid tensions in Chittagong. Bangladesh has deployed extra forces in Chittagong and capital Dhaka.

Thousands of people in Chittagong have gathered in the court premises demanding the release of Chinmoy Brahmachari, a Hindu priest.

The protesters blocked the prison van after a court rejected his bail prayer and ordered to send him jail. Police and other law enforcing agencies fired tear shells and sound grenades to remove them out. After two hours of clashes, Chinmoy Brahmachari was landed in jail, witnesses said.

"A case has been filed against Chimnoy in charge of sedition, accusing him of hosting a flag on the top of a stand of Bangladesh's national flag. But the man who filed the case, now he is not attached to the case. He is now disagreed to continue the case," a minority leader said.

Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), the largest minority group in Bangladesh, on Tuesday expressed concerns over the arrest of Chinmoy Brahmachari. The group condemned the atrocities and urged the interim government for his release immediately.

"We strongly condemn the arrest of Prabhu Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson of Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, from the Dhaka airport area on Monday afternoon", said Manindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of BHBCUC.

"As a result of this arrest, Bangladesh's international image of freedom of expression and human rights will be damaged in the world," he told ANI.

Nath said that the Hindu saint Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was organizing Hindu community to place "8-point demands" for the minority.

The members of the minority community protested across Bangladesh, including capital Dhaka, immediately after the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das by Bangladeshi authorities at Dhaka airport.

Chief Advisor to the interim Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus condemned the murder of a lawyer in the port city of Chittagong.

He has also ordered an investigation into the killing and an appropriate legal course. He has urged people to keep calm and stay away from participating in any untoward activities. He has also ordered law enforcement agencies to step up security in the port city, including in all the vulnerable neighbourhoods.

"The Interim Government is committed to ensuring and upholding communal harmony in Bangladesh at any cost," Yunus said in a statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)