Advocate for Hindu Priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Assaulted in Bangladesh: ISKCON

Kolkata, Dec 3 (NationPress) ISKCON announced that Advocate Ramen Roy, who provided legal support to the Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in Bangladesh, was severely attacked and is now in critical condition in a hospital.

As per the spokesperson of ISKCON Kolkata, Radharaman Das, the only 'fault' of Roy was his defense of Chinmoy Krishna Das in court, which led to his home being ransacked by a group of extremists.

The assault resulted in serious injuries for Roy, who is presently in the ICU, fighting for his life, according to ISKCON Kolkata representatives.

"We urge everyone to pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His sole 'fault' was standing up for Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. Extremists attacked him and destroyed his home, leaving him in the ICU, battling for his life. #SaveBangladeshiHindus #FreeChinmoyKrishnaPrabhu," he shared on X, accompanying it with an image of Roy in the ICU.

This incident occurs amidst a surge in violence against minorities in Bangladesh under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, who has taken over the interim government after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In response to reports of minority targeting, India has urged the Bangladeshi government through various channels to prioritize the safety of these communities.

Speaking to a Bengali news outlet, Das, who also serves as the Vice-President of ISKCON Kolkata, stated, "This heinous attack on Advocate Roy is a direct outcome of his legal support for Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu. It highlights the increasing peril faced by those advocating for the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh."

Chinmoy Krishna Das, who acted as a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was detained at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday while heading to Chattogram for a rally.

He was denied bail and subsequently remanded to custody by a Bangladesh court on Tuesday.

Historically, Hindus constituted about 22 percent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War.

However, the Hindu demographic, once a significant presence in Bangladesh, has drastically declined over the past few decades, now making up approximately eight percent of the total populace.

This reduction is primarily due to a mix of socio-political exclusion, migration, and intermittent violence throughout the years.

Earlier on Monday, protesters reportedly invaded the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala to voice their concerns over the persecution of minorities in the neighboring country. This breach followed an incident involving an Agartala-Kolkata bus that was attacked in the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh after an accident on Vishwa Road.

These events unfold amidst rising tensions between India and Bangladesh, heightened by an increase in assaults on Hindus and their religious sites in Bangladesh following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this year. The political unrest in Bangladesh has coincided with a series of mob attacks, raising alarms regarding the safety of the Hindu minority. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry has stated that the Indian government is taking the incidents of minority attacks seriously and has communicated its concerns to the authorities in Bangladesh.