B'desh unrest: Cachar lawyers appeal to Nobel panel to reassess Dr Muhammad Yunus’s legacy

Silchar, Dec 10: In the wake of atrocities committed against religious minorities, the legal fraternity in Silchar has called upon the Norwegian Nobel Committee to revisit the legacy of Nobel Laureate and interim government head Dr Muhammad Yunus and address the ongoing violence in the neighbouring country.

On Monday, 107 lawyers practising in Cachar District submitted a memorandum to the Norwegian Nobel Committee through the District Commissioner, urging the body to publicly condemn these atrocities and re-evaluate the criteria for future Nobel laureates.

Advocates Shantanu Naik, Ratnangkoor Bhattacharjee, Dharmananda Deb, and Baishali Bhowal, who were among the signatories, alleged in the memorandum that the tenure of Dr. Yunus with the interim government has coincided with an alarming rise in violence and persecution against religious minorities.

The memorandum stated that the atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh undermine the ideals upheld by the Nobel Peace Prize: peace, justice, and human dignity.

“Dr. Yunus’s failure to safeguard the rights of minorities in Bangladesh has drawn widespread condemnation. The Nobel Peace Prize, intended to promote peace and justice, risks losing its moral authority if it continues to honour individuals whose actions or inactions contribute to violence and oppression. Once celebrated as a social reformer, Dr. Yunus now faces accusations of complicity in the persecution of communities the Prize seeks to protect,” the memorandum asserted.

It further criticised Dr. Yunus for his silence on the persecution of religious minorities and urged the Nobel Committee to remind him of the profound moral and ethical responsibilities that come with being a laureate.

The advocates also highlighted the failure of the Yunus-led government and the judiciary of Bangladesh to provide adequate legal aid, representation, and security to Chinmoy Krishna Das and other minority groups.

Despite constitutional and legal guarantees, these rights have been systematically denied, leaving minorities vulnerable to injustice and eroding trust in the judicial system, the memorandum claimed.

The advocates noted that legal professionals defending minority rights, including Regan Acharjee, counsel for Das, and Ramen Roy, a respected High Court practitioner, have faced brutal attacks. These incidents underscore the grave risks faced by those advocating for justice.

“Attacks on ISKCON and other minority institutions illustrate systemic persecution. Such actions blatantly violate both Bangladeshi law and international human rights norms. The Bangladesh Constitution guarantees legal representation and fair trials under Articles 33(1) and 35(3) and explicitly prohibits torture or degrading treatment under Article 35,” the memorandum added.

Coincidentally, the awards ceremony of the Nobel Prizes will be held today in Sweden to mark the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel.