Injured Ramen Roy isn’t Chinmoy’s lawyer, Jagaran Jote debunks Iskcon Kolkata claim

Advocate Ramen Roy, who is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU of a private hospital in Dhaka, was not defending Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, in any legal case, according to the coalition's organisers.

The clarification comes after The Hindu, an Indian media outlet, reported yesterday that Roy had been attacked and his house ransacked, allegedly because he was defending Chinmoy in court. The report, citing International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) Kolkata spokesperson Radharamn Das, did not mention the location or timing of the attack.

However, Prasanjit Kumar Halder, a key organiser of the Sanatani Jagran Jote, a coalition advocating for the rights of the Hindu community, denied the claim. 

He explained that Roy was injured on the evening of 25 November, right after Chinmoy's arrest, before any legal proceedings had started. "Chinmoy was presented in a Chattogram court the next day, while Roy practices law in Dhaka," he said.

Prasanjit told TBS, "Members of the Sanatani community gathered in front of the Detective Branch office on Minto Road after hearing about Chinmoy's arrest at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Around 300-500 people from our community protested his arrest. At the request of the police, we later moved to Shahbagh Intersection to hold a rally."

He continued, "Suddenly, a group of people attacked us with sharp weapons, injuring at least 20 protesters, including myself. Advocate Roy was severely attacked on the head and was critically injured. We quickly rescued the injured, including Roy and took them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital."

Prasanjit added, "All the injured, except Roy, left the hospital after receiving initial treatment. Roy underwent surgery and was admitted to the ICU. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital. He is currently in critical condition and being treated in the ICU at a private hospital in Dhaka."

When asked about filing a complaint, Prasanjit claimed that the attack happened in front of Shahbagh police station, where at least 50 police officers were present. "They could have easily protected us, but they didn't intervene. We are not in a position to approach the police station and file a case," he added.

TBS also received confirmation that injured Advocate Roy is receiving treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka. The name of the hospital has not been disclosed for security reasons.

Meanwhile, Sawtantra Gauranga Das Brahmachari, another organiser of Sanatani Jagran Jote, told TBS that Advocate Subhasish Sharma is Chinmoy's lawyer.

"However, he could not attend the bail hearing scheduled for today (yesterday) at the Chattogram Metropolitan Session Judges Court because he has been implicated in a case under the Explosive Act," he said.

He also claimed that 70 lawyers, including Subhasish, were framed in the case to prevent them from participating in the hearing. Additionally, he alleged that Hindu lawyers are receiving threats from a political group.

On 25 October, Chinmoy, former Iskcon Bangladesh leader, was accused of sedition for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag by hoisting a saffron flag above it during a rally in Chattogram.

He was detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on 25 November and presented before a Chattogram court the following day, where his bail plea was denied, and he was sent to prison.

Supporters blocked his prison van for over two hours before police dispersed them using sound grenades. During the clash, Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was severely injured and later died in the hospital.

Four days later, Alif's brother, Khane Alam, filed a case under the Explosives Act with Kotwali police station in Chattogram, naming 116 individuals. Alif's father also filed a murder case involving 31 suspects.