Dhaka: 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 tightened security.
According to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam after about 30 minutes of hearing both parties' arguments rejected the bail plea, reported ANI.
Kolkata ISKCON Vice President Radharaman Das called the development "unfortunate". “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 health is not good. But if his bail has been rejected then this is very unfortunate. We will see why the judge refused the bail," he told new agency PTI.
Radharaman Das's Reaction:
Das was arrested on November 25 from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, After Das's arrest, there are growing calls for justice.
The bail petition, 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 detained, reported IANS.
His primary lawyer, Ravindra Ghosh, was previously barred from filing an anticipatory bail petition.
Earlier today, 11 Supreme Court lawyers were set to participate in the bail hearing of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
While speaking to 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."
On December 3, 2024, Chittagong court had fixed 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 allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh's national flag in Chittagong on October 25.
His arrest on November 25 sparked protests, culminating in violent clashes 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 custody. The organisation's Vice President, Radha Raman, also claimed that rioters vandalised an ISKCON centre in Bangladesh during the unrest.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also voiced concern over escalating violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh, emphasising 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 interim government led by Mohammad Yunus took charge following Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
