Chittagong lawyers announce court boycott

The Chittagong District Bar Association has announced the suspension of all activities, including a court boycott, for the second consecutive day in protest against the murder of Chittagong court lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
The association has also taken five additional measures, including the organization of a doa mahfil (prayer gathering), as outlined in a circular issued on Wednesday by its president, Mohammad Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, and general secretary, Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzaque.
According to the circular, the emergency decisions include lowering the association’s flag to half-mast and wearing black badges, suspension of work in all court proceedings in Chittagong, organizing a doa mahfil at Johar Court Hill Jame Masjid on Thursday to pray for Saiful Islam’s departed soul, cancelling the holiday gathering scheduled for Thursday, holding a mourning procession in front of Lawyer Doyal Bhavan at 2pm on December 1, and suspending the association’s annual indoor games event.
The circular further noted that Advocate Saiful Islam Alif, a member of the Chittagong District Bar Association and a resident of Lohagara upazila, was murdered on November 26 by alleged members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) while discharging his professional duties.
The court boycott program on Wednesday disrupted proceedings in all courts of Chittagong.
The murder occurred on Tuesday following a violent clash in the court area between followers of the Sommilito Sanatani Jagran Jot and supporters of expelled Iskcon leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, triggered by a bail denial.
The conflict escalated into violence involving law enforcement, during which lawyer Saiful Islam was reportedly abducted from the court premises and killed.
Saiful, a resident of the Chunti area of Lohagara upazila, was the son of Jalal Uddin. He became a member of the District Bar Association in 2018 and was later registered as an advocate of the High Court.