Bangladesh court on Thursday rejected the bail petition of Hindu priest and former International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) member Chinmoy Das. Das appeared before a Chittagong court on Thursday for a bail hearing in a sedition case amid tight security.
Bangladesh court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Hindu priest and former International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) member Chinmoy Das. Das appeared before a Chittagong court on Thursday for a bail hearing in a sedition case amid tight security.
According to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam rejected the bail plea after about 30 minutes of hearing both parties’ arguments, reported ANI.
Kolkata ISKCON Vice President Radharaman Das called the development “unfortunate.” “We were all very hopeful that he would get bail today. He is a monk and has been in prison for the last 42 days. We also heard that his health is not well. But if his bail has been declined then this is very unfortunate. We will see why the judge refused the bail,” he told news agency PTI.
Radharaman Das’s reaction:
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
Das was arrested on November 25 at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. After Das’ arrest, there are growing calls for justice.
The bail plea, supported by 20 advocates from Dhaka and Chittagong, highlights allegations of a false and fabricated case. Advocates argue that Das, suffering from health issues such as diabetes and respiratory problems, is being unjustly held, reported IANS.
His primary attorney, Ravindra Ghosh, was previously barred from filing an anticipatory bail petition.
Earlier today, 11 Supreme Court lawyers were set to attend the bail hearing of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
While speaking to The Daily Star, attorney 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 Vaakalatnama from Chinmoy. “I’m a member of both the Supreme Court and Chattogram Bar associations, so I don’t need authorization from any local lawyer to move the case.”
On December 3, 2024, Chittagong court had scheduled January 2 for bail hearing as the prosecution submitted a time petition and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy.
The unrest started in Bangladesh after sedition charges were filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das for reportedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chittagong on October 25.
His arrest on November 25 sparked protests, culminating in violent conflicts between his followers and law enforcement outside the Chattogram Court Building on November 27, which resulted in the death of a lawyer.
According to ISKCON Kolkata, two monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, were also detained on November 29 after visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das in detention. The organization’s Vice President, Radha Raman, also claimed that rioters vandalized an ISKCON center in Bangladesh during the misfortune.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also expressed concern over escalating violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh, emphasizing that it has consistently raised the issue of targeted attacks on minorities with Dhaka.
There were reports of atrocities against minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh after the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus took charge following Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
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