Supporters of an arrested Hindu monk seeking protection for Bangladesh's Hindu minority attacked police in the port city of Chittagong in November, with a Muslim public prosecutor killed in the violence The Chittagong District Bar Association, however, rejected claims repeated by media groups in Hindu-majority India that the deceased lawyer was representing the Hindu monk. A court document released by the Bangladesh government separately showed that another lawyer was handling the case.
“Bangladesh: Muslim lawyer representing ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das killed!” read part of a Facebook post shared on November 27, 2024.
He said the killing was part of the so-called “deep state”. conspiracy to ignite a war between Muslim-majority Bangladesh and its Hindu-majority neighbor India.
The post included what appeared to be a report from India's Republic TV. The broadcaster made a similar claim in a report that was since then correction.
A screenshot of a fake Facebook post taken on November 27, 2024
There have been religious relationships turbulent in Bangladesh since August's student-led uprising forced longtime autocratic prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India (archive link).
In November angry supporters of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari – who was arrested on charges related to honoring the national flag at a rally – clashed with police in Chittagong after being denied bail.
Brahmachari is a spokesman for a newly formed Hindu organization that is leading protests demanding protection for Bangladesh's Hindu minority. He had been a member of the more mainstream ISKCON, commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement.
Police said a public prosecutor was killed in the riots, identifying him as Saiful Islam Alif, a Muslim.
Similar posts of Alif representing Brahmachari in his case were published by other Indian media organizations such as First Post, Economic Times and Asianet News.
Forward posts X social media site and Facebook also shared the applications.
A different lawyer
But the claims are false, according to Nazimuddin Chowdhury, president of the Chittagong District Bar Association.
“The deceased lawyer was not defending Chinmoy Das and was not in the prosecution team. Alif was killed by the violent mob on his way home,” Chowdhury told AFP on December 11.
“A case has been registered after the murder and 11 people have been arrested by the law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Bangladesh's interim government – led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus – branded the claims “false” in its report shared on Facebook on November 27 (archive link).
“Some Indian media claim that lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, who was brutally murdered in Chattagram today, represented Chinmoy Krishna Das. The claim is false and is being spread with malafide intent,” the statement read.
He said that Brahmachari is represented by a lawyer named Subasish Sharma.
The press wing of the interim government also provided journalists with a copy of Brahmachari's bail plea bearing the name of lawyer Subasish Sharma. Alif's name was not mentioned anywhere in the file.
Below are screenshots from the document showing a stamp bearing Sharma's name:
Official copy of the Vokaltnama (application for bail)
Bangladeshi media including The Daily Star and Prothom Hello who reported on the killing of Alif did not reveal that it was connected to the Hindu monk case (links in archive here and here).
AFP is on a wave of incorrect information around him political turmoil in Bangladesh.
December 20, 2024 Corrected ninth paragraph to remove link to Live Mint report
