A Chattogram court has ordered interrogation of Chandan Das and Rajib Bhattacharya, both accused in the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, at the jail gate.
Chattogram fourth metropolitan magistrate Mohammad Mostofa passed the order on Monday morning, said Md Raihanul Wajed Chowdhury, assistant public prosecutor of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.
鈥楢fter a hearing, the court granted permission for a one-day interrogation,鈥� Raihanul said, adding that Chandan and Rajib were present during the hearing.
Raihanul said that in a confessional statement, Chandan Das had mentioned an individual named 鈥楽hiva鈥� as being involved in the crime, while Rajib Bhattacharya named another suspect, 鈥極m Bhai.鈥�
Chandan Das, the prime suspect in the case, was arrested at Bhairab on December 4 past year.
According to police, he was the individual seen wielding a machete in the viral video of the attack on lawyer Saiful Islam.
In the video, Chandan was seen wearing an orange T-shirt, black pants, and a helmet while attacking the victim. Another suspect, Ripon, was seen dressed in a blue shirt and armed with a knife on the same video.
So far, 22 individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder.
A total of seven cases were filed over the incidents centring the lawyer murder near the court premises in Chattogram city. Charges in these cases include, among others, obstructing government officers from performing duty and vandalism.
Of the seven cases, three have been filed by the police, victim families filed two cases, and two individuals filed the rest two. Altogether 38 people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Saiful.
Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote spokesperson Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, also a former leader of International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also known as ISKCON, was sent to jail after his bail plea was rejected on November 26.
He was arrested on sedition charges on November 25 in Dhaka city.