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Police have been given permission to interrogate Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for the Sanatani Jagaran Jote, at the jail gate in two more cases.
Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate SM Alauddin issued the order on Sunday in response to petitions submitted by the investigating officers.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Md Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury said that investigators in the sedition case and the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif had sought permission to question Chinmoy at the jail gate.
"After the hearing, the court granted them one day to conduct the interrogation in both cases at the jail gate," he said.
Earlier, on May 6, the court had ordered Chinmoy's arrest in three cases filed by police over an incident on Nov 26, 2024, as well as in a case filed by Alif’s brother, reports bdnews24.com.
On May 5, following a request from the investigating officer, the court had also ordered Chinmoy’s arrest in connection with the murder case of lawyer Alif.
On Nov 26 last year, members of the Hindu community staged a protest around a prison van on the Chattogram court premises After the court rejected Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari’s bail plea in a sedition case and ordered him to jail.
The protest turned violent and lasted for two and a half hours before police dispersed the crowd by firing sound grenades and took Chinmoy into custody.
During the unrest, protesters vandalised several motorcycles and vehicles parked on the court road. In response, lawyers and court staff chased the protesters. Amid the ensuing chaos on Rangam Convention Hall road, lawyer Alif was killed.
Police filed three cases that night in connection with the violence at the court premises, in front of the Rangam Cinema Hall, and at Kotwali intersection -- all for attacks on law enforcers.
In the court premises incident, 49 named and 600–700 unnamed individuals were accused. In the Rangam Cinema Hall case, 14 people were named with 300–400 unnamed suspects, and in the Kotwali intersection incident, 13 were named with another 250–300 unnamed suspects.
The cases accuse Chinmoy and others of trying to forcibly free him from custody by staging a pre-planned attack involving various weapons, physical assault, vandalism, looting, explosions, obstruction of government duties, and criminal force.
On Nov 29, Alif’s father Jamal Uddin filed a murder case with Chattogram’s Kotwali Police Station, naming 31 people and listing another 15–16 as unidentified suspects.
That same day, Alif’s brother Khane Alam filed another case over the attack on lawyers, vandalism, and explosions, accusing 116 people.
Chinmoy was initially arrested on Nov 25 in Dhaka in connection with a sedition case for allegedly disrespecting the national flag.
Although the High Court granted him bail in that case, the state appealed the decision to the Appellate Division, which stayed his release.