Staying unrelenting in its stance, a court in the south-eastern port city of Chattogram refused bail to Hindu monk and former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in a sedition case.
“The hearing continued for some 30 minutes when (Metropolitan Sessions) Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam heard both the prosecution and the defence lawyers and then rejected his (Das’) bail petition,” a court official was quoted as saying. As many as 11 lawyers, led by top defence counsel Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, stood for him during the hearing.
Das was formerly associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) before joining the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote organisation as a spokesperson.
He was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25 for allegedly desecrating the Bangladesh flag brought to Chattogram. Media outlets reported that subsequent violence erupted over his arrest which killed a government prosecutor, escalating further tensions. Following the decision, incensed members of the Hindu community staged a protest around the prison van outside the court leading to violence and the lawyer’s death.
“The allegation of disrespecting the national flag is baseless, as it was not a national flag. We informed the court that this case cannot proceed,” Bhatta“The allegation of disrespecting the national flag is baseless, as it was not a national flag. We informed the court that this case cannot proceed,” Bhattacharya told the media.
Public Prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan said, “We opposed the bail during the hearing, and the court has rejected the bail application.”
After rigorous identity checks, police enforced stringent security both inside and outside the court complex, allowing lawyers and other concerned parties entry.
Earlier on December 11, the court denied a plea by attorney Rabindra Ghose for an expedited hearing of his bail petition, stating that it would be heard on January 2, 2025, as previously scheduled.
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