The Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Monday, November 25 announced that Chinmoy Krishna Das, leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, had been arrested after being named in a complaint which alleged that he and a few others had insulted the national flag of Bangladesh. Das, who has been vocal about the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh, was denied bail and sent to jail by a court in the port city of Chattogram on November 26. Immediately after the court’s order at around noon, Das’ followers started to protest, disrupting the movement of the prison van carrying him. This led to clashes between the security personnel and protestors which eventually led to the death of a lawyer named Saiful Islam.
Following Islam’s death, several media outlets started claiming that Saiful was Das’ lawyer who was killed amid the protests. Republic aired this claim and published a report suggesting that Das was killed in police firing.
Other outlets including First Post, India Today Global, Economic Times, Zee News, Asianet News and Patrika also published the same claim.
Right Wing propaganda outlet OpIndia published a report with the title, “Bangladesh: Muslim lawyer representing ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das killed amid protests”. In their report, OpIndia cited the Republic’s report on the same issue. The title has been changed at the time of writing this report. Here is an archive of the older version of their article.
Several right-wing influencers amplified the viral claim, including @KreatelyMedia, @MeghUpdates, Firstpost and Amar Ujala columnist Advaita Kala, and India Today journalist Nabila Jamal.
Reuters published this particular claim, attributing it to a police official. They have since corrected the article.
Fact Check
Bangladesh Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus’s Press Wing released a statement fact-checking Republic’s article. “The claim (that Islam was Das’s lawyer) false and is being spread with malafide intention”. Citing the vokalatnama or the legal document in Das’s case, they highlighted that advocate Subasish Sharma is his lawyer.
Alt News contacted Mohammad Ashraf Hossain Chy (Razzaque), Secretary of the Chittagong District Bar Association, who confirmed that the deceased advocate Saiful Islam was not Chinmoy Krishna Das’s lawyer. He further clarified that Islam was neither representing Chinmoy Krishna Das nor the prosecution. “This information is misleading,” he stated.
We discovered that Islam had shared a video from a page called ‘Face The People-ফেস দ্যা পিপল’ where the narrator claims that Chinmoy Krishna Das delivered various speeches issuing threats and warnings aimed at the current government at religious gatherings. If Islam had been Das’s lawyer, it is unlikely he would have shared a video that makes a case against Das.
Posted by অ্যাডভোকেট সাইফুল ইসলাম আলিফ on Monday 25 November 2024
Moreover, several local reports indicate that Islam was killed by protestors, not by police firing as claimed by Republic. Chittagong District Lawyers Association President Nazim Uddin Chowdhury told Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo that the protestors hacked the lawyer to death.
Another Bangladeshi media outlet Jamuna TV laid out the chain of events in a report. According to their account, on November 26, 2024, Das was presented before the Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate. The court denied his bail and ordered his imprisonment. This triggered protests at the court premises. The prison van was blocked and vehicles, roads, and parts of the court, including its mosque, were vandalised. The protests escalated into violence, with Chinmoy’s supporters clashing with police and lawyers. During the chaos, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was attacked and fatally beaten in Rangam Cinema Lane. This was corroborated by an eyewitness to Daily Star. He was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
At least six people have been arrested in connection with Islam’s murder. Following his death, his colleagues protested at the hospital, blaming ISKCON and demanding justice. Several demonstrations have been carried in Chittagong with lawyers calling for a two-day strike on November 27. Leaders from various political parties and student coordinators demanded an immediate investigation into its activities into ISKCON’s activities in Bangladesh. The Munshiganj District Nationalist Lawyers Forum held a rally where speakers strongly condemned the murder and issued stern warnings against ISKCON members.
These developments suggest that Islam’s supporters believe his murder was carried out by protestors associated with ISKCON.
Thus, Saiful Islam’s death was reported by various Indian media outlets as the killing of Chinmoy Das’s lawyer in police firing. However, Alt News found this claim to be false. Our investigation revealed that Islam was not Das’s lawyer and had no affiliation with either side in the case. Additionally, several local reports stated that Islam was killed by protestors.
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