A Chittagong court today refused bail to former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das after a hearing held amid tight security.
News agency ANI gave this information according to the report of The Daily Star. According to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizur Haq Bhuiyan, Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam rejected the bail plea about 30 minutes after hearing arguments from both sides.
Earlier today, 11 lawyers of the Supreme Court will participate in the bail hearing of Chinmay Krishna Das.
Speaking to the Daily Star, lawyer Apoorva Kumar Bhattacharya said, “We have come to Chittagong under the banner of Aingiby Oikya Parishad and we will plead in the court for Chinmay’s bail. I have already received the power of attorney from Chinmay. I am going to appeal to the Supreme Court and I am a member of both the Chittagong Bar Association, so I do not need the permission of any local lawyer to prosecute the case.”
Earlier on December 3, 2024, the Chittagong court had fixed January 2 for the bail hearing as the prosecution had submitted a time plea and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy.
The unrest in Bangladesh stems from treason charges filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is accused of hoisting the saffron flag over the national flag of Bangladesh in Chittagong on October 25. His arrest on 25 November sparked protests, culminating in violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement officials outside the Chittagong Court building on 27 November, resulting in the death of a lawyer.
The situation worsened following additional arrests. According to ISKCON Kolkata, two sadhus, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, were detained on 29 November when they went to meet Chinmoy Krishna Das in custody. Radha Raman, vice president of the organization, also claimed that rioters vandalized the ISKCON center in Bangladesh during the unrest.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also expressed concern over the increasing violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh and stressed that it has consistently raised the issue of targeted attacks on minorities with Dhaka.
