A Bangladesh court on Tuesday deferred the bail hearing of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das after lawyers declined to represent him.
Das, associated with the Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, an organization advocating for the rights of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25 on sedition charges.
The arrest followed a complaint by a local politician who accused Das and others of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a Hindu community rally.
Das was also part of the ISKCON mission in Bangladesh. ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das alleged that Das’ lawyer, Ramen Roy, was brutally attacked and is now in critical condition.
“Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only ‘fault’ was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life,” Radharaman Das posted on X, alongside a photo of Roy in the ICU.
Sources said that when Das was presented at the Chattogram Metropolitan Court on November 26, several minority community lawyers accompanied him. However, most of them were subsequently arrested by police on allegations of involvement in violence and vandalism at the court premises.
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, security was tightened at the Chattogram court. However, the hearing was postponed to January 2 after Das’ lawyer failed to appear, and Das himself was not produced in court, according to The Daily Star.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has condemned Das’ arrest and the denial of bail. The arrest has sparked widespread outrage, with calls for his immediate release growing louder.
(With agency inputs)
