Several news outlets have falsely claimed that a lawyer who was representing arrested Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari was killed in clashes that took place at Bangladesh's Chattogram Court premises on November 26.
BOOM was able to confirm that the slain lawyer Saiful Islam, who was a member of Chattogram Bar Association, was not representing Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari as his legal counsel.
Tensions erupted in Chattogram, the port city of Bangladesh, following the arrest of Das, a Hindu leader associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Protests took a deadly turn when Das was being sent to jail after the rejection of his bail plea on Tuesday.
News outlets misreport
Outlets including Republic, OpIndia, India Today, The Daily Guardian , First Post, The Economic Times , Live Mint reported that Saiful Islam Alif, representing Das, was killed during the protests outside the court. The Economic Times' print edition quoted an excerpt from wire agency Reuters that read, "A Muslim lawyer defending Das was killed amid protests outside the court (in Chittagong)." Reuters has since corrected the article.
The claim was also amplified by right wing X handle Kreately in an X post.
Fact Check
BOOM reached out to Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, president of Chattogram District Bar Association, who confirmed that Saiful Islam was not representing Das. He said, "Saiful Islam was a member of the Chattogram Bar Association. He was neither defending Chinmoy Das nor was he an Assistant Public Prosecutor in the case."
We also reached out to Saiful Islam's friend Ummul Hayat Api, advocate at the Judges' Court, Chattogram, who corroborated the same. Ummul Hayat further told BOOM that Islam was hacked to death after the clashes turned violent. BOOM has however not independently confirmed the same.
A report by The Daily Star quoted an eyewitness from the incident Mohammad Didar, an employee of Golam Rasul Market, who along with others rescued Saiful and took him to the hospital. Didar told The Daily Star, "Some Chinmoy followers hacked the lawyer on the road next to Rangam Convention Hall." According to reports, Das is also the spokesperson of Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote.
A clarification was also shared from the official Facebook page of Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus' Press Wing known as the CA Press Wing Facts.
The post reads, "The vakalatnama produced by Chinmoy Krishna Das to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court has shown that advocate Subasish Sharma is his lawyer."
BBC Bangla quoted Subhashish Sharma as saying, "He (Chinmoy Das) has been taken to jail. The police attacked the people who were present here and dispersed everyone and took Prabhu in a prison van. He was taken away after 3:30." BOOM reached out to the General Secretary of ISKCON, Dhaka, who refused to comment on the incident.
With inputs from Ummay Ammara Eva, BOOM Bangladesh
