Sandhya Rani Dhar, mother of Bangladeshi Hindu monk and minority rights activist Chinmoy Krishna Das, died on Thursday morning at the Shri Shri Pundarik Dham Ashram in Hathazari, Chattogram, with her last wish to see her son remaining unfulfilled as he remains in jail.
Das, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, came to limelight for advocating the rights of religious minorities in his country in the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024. He was arrested at Dhaka airport on November 25, 2024, accused of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh.
Dhar, 71, had earlier been admitted to Chattogram’s Maa-O-Shishu Hospital after falling ill. Medical tests revealed that she had cancer. However, Dhar wanted to spend her final days at the ashram where her son had stayed.
While Dhar was ill, an application was made seeking his parole so that he could visit her. The administration told the family that there is no provision for granting parole to a prisoner to visit a sick relative, but parole is allowed if a relative dies.
Following her death, Das was granted five-hour parole on Thursday afternoon to attend his mother’s last rites. Chittagong Additional District Magistrate Syed Mahbubul Haque issued the order, and Das was released from Chittagong Central Jail at 4 pm.
Speaking to a Bangladeshi daily, Das’s brother Anjan Kumar Dhar said, “My mother is no more. While she was alive, my brother could not even see his own mother.”
Family sources mentioned that Dhar had become distressed as her son remained in jail for a prolonged period. She was deeply worried by reports of her son’s illness and repeated rejection of bail. The family claimed that she had suffered a stroke amid prolonged mental stress and subsequently developed cardiac complications during treatment.
Das’s elder brother, Ranjan Kumar Dhar, said, “We are now taking my mother’s body to the Hathazari Upazila Health Complex. From there, we will obtain the medical certificate and apply for my brother’s release on parole. My mother’s last rites will be performed at Pundarik Dham in Hathazari.”
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