Sylhet, Nov 16 (V7N) – A large human chain and protest rally were held in Sylhet on Saturday demanding the withdrawal of false cases filed against leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, as well as prominent members of society. The demonstration also called for the arrest of Rahul Debnath and Shanto Debnath, sons of alleged illegal occupier Jiten Debnath, and other members of his family.

The protest took place in front of the Central Shaheed Minar in Sylhet, organized jointly by the Sylhet district and city branches of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council. The rally condemned what organizers described as a series of fabricated and malicious legal actions filed by Jiten Debnath and his wife, Smriti Rani Debnath, targeting religious leaders and respected community members in connection with the illegal occupation of the Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple property in Jindabazar.

Speakers at the rally criticized the alleged misuse of legal processes to intimidate community leaders and accused law enforcement agencies of failing to take action against the Debnath family’s purported criminal activities, which they said included harassment, threats, and attempts to seize temple property. Organizers warned that continued inaction by authorities had emboldened the accused.

The rally demanded the immediate withdrawal of all false cases and called for the arrest of Rahul Debnath, Shanto Debnath, and other alleged associates of Jiten Debnath. Protesters warned that failure to act would lead to sustained and intensified demonstrations. A memorandum was submitted to the Sylhet District Commissioner and Police Commissioner outlining the demands.

The event was chaired by Advocate Bijoy Krishna Biswas, president of the Sylhet district branch of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council, and jointly conducted by Advocate Ranjan Ghosh, general secretary of the Sylhet district Puja Celebration Council, and Advocate Debbrata Chowdhury Liton, joint general secretary of the Sylhet city Puja Celebration Council. Among the speakers and attendees were prominent religious leaders, community activists, educators, and local organizers, including Advocate Mrityunjoy Dhar Bhola, Bir Muktijoddha Gopika Shyam Purkayastha Chayan, Professor Himadri Shekhar Roy, Dikim Nijhum Sangma, Jyotimoy Singh Majumdar Chandan, Niranjan De, Subrata Kumar De, Manik Lal, Shailen Kumar Kor, Monmohan Dev, Liton Kumar Dev, Bhaskar Ranjan Das, Sitendra Das, Ujjal Ranjan Chand, Sunil Kanta De, Mithin Pal Pranto, Ashish Roy, Nandan Chandra Pal, Rinku Chakraborty, Bhajan Lal Das, Mintu Das, Dr. Pabitra Banik, Kajal Acharya, Baldev Kripa Das, Swapan Chakraborty, Dipak Kumar Das, Janardan Chakraborty, Lipton Ranjan Talukdar, Shankar Das Shanku, Yogol Krishna Goswami, Nirmal Kumar Sinha, Himadri Kor Purkayastha, Arun Chandra Pal, Bidyut Sen, Bimal Kanti De, Arun Kumar Pal, Panna Lal Roy, Sudip Purkayastha, Sanjib Dutta, and Shimul Chakraborty, among others.

Organizers emphasized that the protest was a peaceful demonstration aimed at protecting the rights of minority communities and religious institutions while holding perpetrators accountable under the law.

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