On 26 November 2024, Saiful Islam Alif, a lawyer practicing at the Chittagong Court, was fatally attacked with sharp weapons by unidentified assailants during a protest demanding the release of Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who had been arrested on charges of sedition.
Reports indicate that the violence involved individuals identified as followers of Das and alleged supporters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
[1][2][3][4][5] On 25 November 2024, Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, was arrested from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on charges of sedition.
After the protesters threw bricks at the police, the law enforcements started baton charge, throwing tear gas and sound grenades.
He was a member of the BNP's legal aid committee in Lohagara Upazila and participated in the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum, a pro-BNP law firm.
[9][14] Amidst the unrest, Alif was reportedly dragged into the nearby Rangam Convention Hall by some of the protesters near the court, where he was subjected to a severe physical assault.
[15] Local witnesses eventually rescued him and rushed him to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 4:00 p.m. BST citing blunt force trauma.
[34] On the night of 29 November, Alif's father filed a murder case with Kotwali Police Station, naming 31 individuals and 10-15 unidentified persons as accused.
Several Indian media outlets, including FirstPost, The Economic Times, Republic World and OpIndia, published inaccurate reports claiming that the Alif was Chinmoy Das' lawyer.