In a set back for Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Chattogram court in Bangladesh on Thursday denied bail during a hearing held under tight security. Das, who is a member of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group, is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). According to The Daily Star, a team of 11 lawyers was involved in his bail hearing. Calling the development "sad", vice president of the ISCKON Kolkata, Radha Raman Das urged the government of Bangladesh to ensure that the Hindu monk gets justice.
Earlier, in a post on X, ISKCON said, " We have come across disturbing reports that Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das, one of the prominent leaders of ISKCON Bangladesh, has been detained by the Dhaka police."
What are the charges on Chinmoy Das?
According to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, the case names the Hindu leader as the prime accused along with 164 identified individuals and 400 to 500 unidentified people. He is already in jail on a charge of sedition.
The complaint was filed by Enamul Haque, a Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh member. Notably, Hefazat-e-Islalm is a fundamentalist group formed in 2010 which is against progressive laws and bats for Islamic law imposition in Bangladesh. His complaint was filed in the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Md Abu Bakar Siddique.
In his complaint, Haque has alleged that he was attacked by followers of Chinmoy Das while returning home after completing land registry work at the court on November 26.
Dhaka sees protest amid his arrest
Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25. The next day, a court in Chattogram sent him to jail, rejecting his bail petition as he was accused of a sedition charge for allegedly disrespecting the country's flag. His arrest sparked protests, with his followers demonstrating in Dhaka and other places while the protest turned violent in Chattogram, where a lawyer was killed.
The advocate's death sparked a counter-campaign, demanding a ban on ISKCON, which distanced itself from the priest, saying he was expelled from the organization six months ago.
On October 31, a case with Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram, accusing Das and 18 others of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag with a local leader of ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s BNP, who too was expelled by the party for obscure reasons.
(With agency inputs)
