Bangladeshi Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on November 25, 2024, for sedition by the country’s police, will remain in jail, after a judge rejected his bail plea, yet again.
According to local media reports, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam dismissed Das’ bail plea after hearing arguments from both sides for 30 minutes on January 2.
Reports said the hearing took place amidst heightened security.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that 11 Supreme Court lawyers were set to participate in the bail hearing of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
ALSO READ: Bangladesh: Court rejects bail hearing plea of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das
While speaking to local The Daily Star, lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee had said, “We have come to Chattogram under the banner of Ainjibi Oikya Parishad, and we will move for Chinmoy in the court for his bail. I already got the Vakalatnama from Chinmoy. I’m a member of both the Supreme Court and Chattogram Bar associations, so I don’t need authorisation from any local lawyer to move the case.”
VIDEO | Here’s what Kolkata ISKCON Vice President Radharaman Das said on Bangladesh court rejecting Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das' bail plea.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 2, 2025
“We all were very hopeful that he would get bail today. He is a monk and was in jail for the last 42 days. We also heard that his… pic.twitter.com/etANf7MwA7
The court had, on December 3, fixed January 2 for a bail hearing. During that time, there was no lawyer to represent Das, a former ISKCON leader.
As per reports, Das was arrested for allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chittagong on October 25.
He was arrested exactly a month later. Das’ arrest sparked protests, while turned into violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement outside the Chattogram Court Building on November 27. The clash led to the death of a lawyer.
Since then, police in Bangladesh have made additional arrests. There have been reports of vandalism of ISKCON properties in the country, which is witnessing a turmoil following the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024.
Meanwhile, with reports emerging out of Bangladesh of rising attacks against minorities, including the Hindu community — who make up a little over 7 percent of the country’s population, as per the 2022 national census — India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have voiced concern.
