A Chattogram court has ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to take over the investigation into the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and the violence that erupted at the court premises following the incident.
Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddique passed the order on Tuesday after the plaintiff, the victim’s brother, expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress in the investigation.
The case had earlier been investigated by the Detective Branch (DB) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police under DB North Division Assistant Commissioner Md Mostafa Kamal.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Md Raihanul Wajed Chowdhury said the court ordered the transfer of the investigation to ensure a fair and neutral probe.
During the hearing, the outgoing investigation officer was asked to explain the progress of the case, but failed to provide a satisfactory response, court sources said.
Despite having more than 100 named accused and around 400 to 500 unidentified suspects, the investigating agency has not made any arrests so far, raising questions over the effectiveness of the probe.
The case stems from violence that broke out on 26 November 2024 after a court rejected the bail petition of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, also known as Chandan Kumar Dhar, in a sedition case.
Tension spread across the court premises following the order.
According to the case statement, hundreds of followers of Chinmoy Krishna and individuals affiliated with ISKCON allegedly carried out vandalism, hurled cocktails and attacked government establishments and vehicles during the clashes.
Advocate Saiful Islam Alif, a lawyer of the Supreme Court and Chattogram Judge Court, was hacked to death during the violence that afternoon.
Five cases were later filed over the murder, vandalism and explosions linked to the incident.
FP/MI
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