A tragical update about the story of a man who was not just a friend but was like my own brother. We were brothers under more points of view but now my dear friend has left us forever.
Palash Kumar Roy, 37-year-old lawyer, was unjustly arrested on May 13, 2016 after suffering abduction attempts with aggravating circumstances of persecution of religious minorities. If you want to re-read the story related to his absconding and arrest, this is the link: Justice awaiting trial
Palash, a professional lawyer, had also been a candidate as vice-president of his province, son of freedom fighters in the resistance against the Islamist regime of Pakistan, his mother was former vice-president of the region. In retaliation for his reluctance to participate in a fraud planned by the giant Kohinoor Chemical Ltd., of which he was a member of the legal staff, he had been at the end of a long story arrested and initially detained in the Dhaka Central Prison, then subsequently transferred in state of semi-freedom to his hometown, Panchagarh.
After 3 years waiting for a final judgement, on March 25, 2019 he and his family members had started a hunger strike forming a sit-in in front of the Panchagarh Administrative House. Subsequently, along with some friends and supporters, they organized a human chain in front of the entrance of the “Sher-e Bangla Park”, asking for the end of this fake trial. Following the human chain, a complete stranger named Rajib Rana went to the local police station to file a complaint against Palash Kumar Roy, stating that during the demonstration he had launched insult slogans against Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (which is absolutely meaningless since the banners and the manifestation were completely focused on the issue of the Kohinoor Chemical Ltd.). That same day, the local police arrested Palash, placing him in custody in the local prison of Panchagarh.
A few weeks after his arrest, Palash is killed by some hired assassins inside the prison and his body is found inside one of the baths with signs of burn on 62% of the skin. The news was published only yesterday 2nd May 2019.
Now, we don’t know who this Rajib Rana is, we don’t know the exact identity of the killers and we can only imagine who ordered the murder. For us, his friends and family members, all we have to do is cry and remember him on this sad day.
See you soon, brother!
