Lawyers in southeastern Bangladesh boycott courts after violence kills 1

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Lawyers in southeastern Bangladesh boycotted courts Wednesday to protest the killing of a colleague in a daylong violence over the arrest of a prominent minority Hindu leader.

Hundreds of followers of Krishna Das Prabhu clashed with security officials and Muslims after a magistrate denied him bail and ordered him detained on sedition charges Tuesday pending further proceedings.

Since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Aug. 5, an interim government has been struggling to ease tension in the South Asian nation.

Hindus and members of other minority groups say they have faced more attacks than ever since Hasina fled to India following a massive uprising against her 15-year rule. The government says the threat to Hindus has been exaggerated.

Around 91% of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, with Hindus making up almost all of the rest.

The violence on Tuesday began as police attempted to transport Prabhu, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, to jail. His supporters surrounded the van carrying him, forcing it to stop for hours. To disperse the crowd, police fired teargas, stun grenades and charged them with batons, leaving scores injured. Muslims also joined the security officials and attacked the Hindu protesters.

A Muslim lawyer, Saiful Islam Alif, was killed in an alley as he was reportedly leaving the court area as violence raged. It was not clear who killed him. Prabhu's Hindu group denied the allegation it was responsible and demanded an investigation.

Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, president of the Chattogram District Bar Association, told The Associated Press that the lawyers in the city were protesting the killing and would boycott the courts on Thursday as well. He blamed the authorities, especially police, for failing to prevent hours of violence.

“We want security for us. He was killed in broad daylight. Police and other security officials were there, but he was killed. We cannot allow such incidents to continue,” Chowdhury said.

On Wednesday, thousands of mourners joined the funeral prayers for the slain lawyer.

Authorities said that security officials arrested at least six suspects after verifying video footage.

The press office of the interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, said that another 21 people were arrested in Chattogram in connection with attacks on police and vandalism.

Prabhu is a prominent Hindu leader and a respected figure. He is a member of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group. He is also associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, widely known as the Hare Krishna movement, and acts as a spokesman for the group in Bangladesh.

On Tuesday, India expressed “deep concern” over the violence and Prabhu's arrest. Bangladesh said it was its internal affairs.