Chattogram police have identified 13 individuals involved in the brutal murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif. The suspects were identified through CCTV footage capturing the incident.
Eight suspects have been apprehended so far. Those in custody include Rajib Bhattacharya, Rumit Das, Sumit Das, Nayan Das, Gagan Das, Bishal Das, Aman Das, and Sonu Methor.
Most recently, Rajib Bhattacharya was arrested on Wednesday night by the Detective Branch (DB). Rajib, the son of Sunil Bhattacharya from Abdullahpur in North Sarta, Fatikchhari, was seen in the CCTV footage during the attack.
CMP DC (Crime) Rais Uddin said Rajib was seen wearing an olive shirt and carrying a stone during the incident.
Others identified from the footage include Bikash Das (1), Arjun Das, Bikash Das (2), Shuvo Kanti Das, a fourth-semester law student at BGC Trust University, Krishna Das, an employee at Government Haji Muhammad Mohsin College, and Bunja Methor.
Among them, Bikash Das (1) and Bunja Methor have been identified by multiple investigative agencies as the masterminds behind the murder.
The footage shows one youth wearing a silver helmet, an orange T-shirt, and black pants, holding a machete, and another wearing a red helmet, a blue T-shirt, and jeans, wielding a cleaver, attacking lawyer Saiful.
Police said that the first individual is Bikash Das, while the second is Bunja Methor. Efforts to arrest them are ongoing.
Kazi Tarek Aziz, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of the Chattogram, said that with these eight, 36 people have been arrested so far.
Police yesterday filed three cases in connection with the court building violence between police, lawyers and followers of the former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, accusing 79 by name and 1,400 unidentified individuals.
Meanwhile, members of Chattogram Bar Association did not attend court proceedings for the second day Thursday, protesting the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and demanding arrest of his killers.
All proceedings at the 74 courts of Chattogram were suspended due to the lawyers’ strike.
Wearing black badges and demanding justice, the lawyers have been protesting in the court building area from Thursday morning.
Former students of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC), Premier University, and Chattogram Law Colleges practising in the court also participated in the protest.
According to witnesses, due to the lawyers abstaining from work, there were no litigants on the court premises this morning.
The arrestee, Rajib Bhattacharaya, is said to have been seen in photos taken during the violence. He was seen wearing an olive shirt and carrying a stone during the incident, said CMP DC (Crime) Rais Uddin.
BGC Trust University in Chattogram has suspended one of its law students, Shuvo Kanti Das, following allegations of involvement in the violent clash at the court building area and the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif. The suspension came after photos of the incident surfaced and classmates identified him.
Shuvo Kanti Das, a fourth-semester law student, was identified by fellow students after images of the incident went viral on social media. The university acted on this information, as confirmed by Deputy Registrar Salauddin Shahareir.
“Once the photos circulated online, his classmates and other students identified him. The university took immediate action based on their input and the available evidence,” said Shahareir. He also noted that the university itself did not conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, Kotwali police confirmed that Shuvo Kanti Das has been named as an accused in cases filed on Wednesday in connection with the clash.
However, authorities have yet to file a murder case specifically addressing the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
