Police to grill Chinmoy at jail gate over assault on cops

A Chattogram court today granted police one-day permission to interrogate ex-ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari at the gate of Chattogram Central Jail in connection with a case over the attack on on-duty officers at the court premises.

The 6th Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, presided over by SM Alauddin, passed the order after the investigation officer (IO) petitioned to grill Chinmoy outside the jail, court sources said.

The court has asked the IO to submit a report by June 3.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury told The Daily Star, "The IO of the case sought permission to grill Chinmoy at the jail gate, and the court granted one-day permission after hearing."

On May 18, the same court allowed police to question Chinmoy at the jail gate in two other Kotwali Police Station cases.

To date, Chinmoy, also the spokesperson for Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, has been arrested in five cases, including a November 26 sedition case in which his bail was rejected.

Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was brutally beaten and hacked to death outside the court building premises during the triangular clashes among Chinmoy's supporters, police and a group of lawyers.

That day, his supporters blocked the prison van and clashed with police, culminating in the brutal killing of Alif.

In the aftermath, police filed three separate cases—for attacks on officers, vandalism, and obstruction of duty—naming 79 individuals and about 1,400 unidentified persons.

Alif's father and brother also lodged murder and vandalism cases against dozens more, including 70 lawyers.

So far, 40 arrests have been made, 11 of them in connection with Alif's killing based on CCTV evidence.