A lawyer defending Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the Hindu priest arrested and accused of sedition in Bangladesh, has been attacked, the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) has said. In a post on X, Radharaman Das, the spokesperson for ISKCON, said, “Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only ‘fault’ was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life”.
Many lawyers in Bangladesh, however, have denied any such event.
Last month too, there were claims on social media and a few news outlets that a lawyer defending Chinmoy Krishna Das was killed. But investigations revealed that the murdered lawyer, Saiful Islam, was an assistant public prosecutor and he was not defending Chinmoy Das.
The post from Radharaman Das read:
Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a prominent former leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, was arrested in Dhaka last month after protests by the Hindu community in Rangpur, demanding stronger legal protections for minority groups. He has been accused of sedition and was denied bail by a Dhaka court on Tuesday.
Bangladesh has seen widespread political violence and protests over minority rights since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Amid attacks on minority Hindus in the neighbouring coutry, Radharaman Das had earlier posted on X that two disciples of Chinmoy Krishna Das have gone missing in Chattogram after a second Hindu monk, Shyam Das Prabhu, was arrested.
India has condemned the arrest and urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and other minorities.
The arrest has also been strongly criticised by Indian religious leaders and members of the civil society.
Protest rallies have been held in West Bengal and several other staes that share border with Bangladesh.
In Tripura, the criticism has taken the form of boycott. Hotels and restaurants have decided not to accept bookings from tourists from Bangladesh, the top association of the travel sector has said.
Earlier today, more than 50 protesters allegedly entered the premises of the Bangladeshi mission in Tripura capital Agartala, leading to panic among the officials and staff at the complex. India has described the incident as “deeply regrettable”.
