In Bangladesh, the High Court yesterday refused to grant bail to Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagran Jote spokesperson and former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case filed over alleged desecration of the national flag. However, the court asked the government to explain in two weeks why Chinmoy Krishna Das should not be granted bail in this case.
Das was arrested on sedition charges on 25th November from Dhaka Airport.
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5 last year, many incidents of violence and vandalisation 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 the Hindu community at Chittagong on 25th October and at Rangpur, North Bangladesh, on 22nd November, Chinmoy created a sensation in the socio-political circle of Bangladesh. On 30th October, a sedition case was filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das and 18 others at Kotwali Police Station in Chittagong on the grounds of allegedly hoisting a saffron flag above the official flag of Bangladesh during a public rally at Chattogram’s Laldighi Maidan on 25th October.
Following his arrest, members of the Hindu community protested against the arrest of Das across Bangladesh, and they demanded his immediate release.