Bangladesh: Advocate Ramen Roy defending Chinmoy Das ‘brutally attacked, in ICU’, says ISKCON

International Society for Krishna Consciousness Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das has claimed that advocate Ramen Roy, who had defended Bangladesh’s Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu Das in a legal case there, was brutally attacked by “Islamists”, who also ransacked his house in the neighbouring country.

Radharamn Das added that Ramen Roy is battling for his life at a hospital.

The ISKCON spokesperson alleged that Ramen Roy’s “fault” was defending Chinmoy Das in court. The attack left Ramen Roy critically injured, and he is currently in the ICU, fighting for his life, the ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson claimed.

“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. #SaveBangladeshiHindus #FreeChinmoyKrishnaPrabhu,” Radharamn Das posted on X along with a picture of Roy in ICU.

“This brutal attack on advocate Roy is a direct consequence of his legal defence of Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu. It reflects the growing danger faced by those who defend the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh,” news agency PTI quoted Radharamn Das as saying in an interview with a Bengali news channel.

Chinmoy Das’s arrest

Chinmay Das, who served as a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport last week while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally.

A Bangladesh court has denied bail to Chinmay Das and sent him to jail.

A public prosecutor was killed after violent clashes erupted in Bangladesh following the arrest of Chinmoy Das. The unrest followed the denial of bail to the Hindu leader, a former ISKON priest, who is currently facing sedition charges.

During the clashes, a public prosecutor, Saiful Islam Alif, was killed. Nurul Alam, a police inspector posted at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, had said Alif suffered severe head injuries.

The news of the lawyer’s death has further escalated tensions in an already volatile state.

Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh’s population during the 1971 Liberation War.

The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country’s total population.

This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.