Chattogram [Bangladesh], January 2: A court in Chattogram has rejected the bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the former leader of ISKCON, after a hearing that took place under tight security on Tuesday, The Daily Star reported.
Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam denied the bail request following a 30-minute hearing, during which both the defense and prosecution presented their arguments, as confirmed by Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan.
Earlier, 11 Supreme Court lawyers had traveled to Chattogram to represent Das in his bail hearing. Lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee explained that they were appearing under the banner of Ainjibi Oikya Parishad and had received authorization from Chinmoy Krishna Das to represent him in court.
The case stems from sedition charges filed against Das for allegedly raising a saffron flag above the national flag of Bangladesh in Chattogram on October 25. Following his arrest on November 25, protests broke out, leading to violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement outside the Chattogram court on November 27. These clashes resulted in the death of a lawyer.
The unrest escalated further with the arrest of two ISKCON monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, on November 29 after visiting Das in custody. The ISKCON Kolkata chapter also reported that the violence led to the vandalism of one of its centers in Bangladesh.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed concern over the rising violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh, particularly regarding the treatment of minorities, and has raised the issue with the Bangladeshi government.