In Bangladesh, a Chittagong court today ordered that Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a former leader of ISKON and spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, who is currently in prison, be shown arrested in the case filed over the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam in the city.
The order was issued by Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate following a virtual hearing, based on a petition submitted by the investigating officer of the case. Chinmoy Das was virtually produced before the court from jail, but no defense lawyer was present on his behalf during the hearing.
Chinmoy Das has been in custody for five months in connection with a sedition case. He was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024. Following his arrest, members of the Hindu Community protested against the arrest of Das across Bangladesh and demanded his immediate release. The following day, his bail plea was rejected by the Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, which ordered his detention. The court’s decision led to a violent clash between law enforcement and Chinmoy’s followers, including lawyers, near the court premises. During the altercation, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was fatally attacked. Since then, Chinmoy Das has remained in custody. Several cases were filed against Chinmoy and others following the murder of the lawyer.
On 30 April, a High Court bench granted bail to Chinmoy in the sedition case. Later that day, the state filed an appeal with the Chamber Court seeking a stay on the High Court order. That evening, Chamber Judge Justice Md Rezaul Haque stayed the bail.
However, the stay was later withdrawn, and the Chamber Court was supposed to hold a rehearing on Sunday but it got postponed as the Supreme Court observed a half-day closure yesterday to pay tribute to late senior lawyer MI Faruki, who passed away last Saturday night, reports the Business Standard newspaper.
Meanwhile, Leaders and activists of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) which led the protests against the sheikh Hasina government, held a protest rally in Chattogram on Friday, demanding a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and the cancellation of bail granted to its former leader, Chinmoy Krishna Das. Other fundamentalist organisations also joined SAD’s demand on various social media platforms following the rally.
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, last year, many incidents of violence and vandalizations were reported against minorities in Bangladesh. Chinmoy Krishna Das and Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote have been advocating on behalf of the Sanatani or Hindu community across Bangladesh, raising eight point demands for the safety and rights of minorities.
Following massive public rallies of Hindu community at Chittagong on October 25 and at Rangpur, North Bangladesh on November 22, Chinmoy had created a sensation in the Socio-political circle of Bangladesh. On October 30, a sedition case was filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das and 18 others at Kotwali Police Station in Chittagong on ground of allegedly hoisting a saffron flag above the official flag of Bangladesh during a public rally at Chattogram’s Laldighi Maidan on October 25.