Bangladesh: Clashes reported over Sanatani leader denied bail in sedition case

A court in Bangladesh on 26 November, Tuesday, denied bail to Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, arrested on sedition charges, and sent him to prison, amid protests by members of the Hindu community in the capital Dhaka, the port city of Chattogram as well as other towns such as Barishal.

On Monday, 25 November, the Bangladesh police had arrested Das — a leader of the Sammilita Sanatan Jagran Jote — from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka while travelling to Chattogram. He was then brought to Chattogram.

A case was filed against Das and 18 others on 30 October at Chattogram's Kotwali Police Station on the complaint of a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the party of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. They were accused of desecrating and disrespecting the national flag at the Independence Pillar in the city's Laldighi Maidan during a rally by the Hindu community on 25 October.

Das was formerly a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which recently expelled him. (ISKCON leaders in Bangladesh were not immediately available for comment.)

During the hearing of Das' case, Chattogram’s sixth metropolitan magistrate, Kazi Shariful Islam, rejected his bail petition.

The judge said that since Das was arrested from outside the port city, as per law, he is required to be kept in judicial custody for 24 hours.

The court then ordered that Das be taken to jail and directed the prison authorities to allow the Hindu priest to practice his religious rituals as per the Jail Code.

Local government affairs adviser and Anti-Discrimination Student’s Movement leader Asif Mahmud said Das has been arrested not as a leader of any community but for sedition.

"If someone is involved in any incident like sedition, he will not be spared,” he told reporters following a public rally in northwestern Rangpur city.

“If Bangladesh’s sovereignty and independence are endangered or the country is exposed to dishonour or contempt, the government will definitely take steps,” Mahmud said.

Das' arrest triggered street rallies in Dhaka and Chattogram by Hindus.

Hundreds of people from the Hindu community on Monday took to the streets at the Cheragi Pahar intersection in Chattogram, demanding his immediate release. Similarly, the Hindu community members in Dhaka blocked the Shahbagh intersection, protesting the arrest.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council also protested Das' arrest and demanded his immediate release.

Meanwhile, India on Tuesday noted with "deep concern" the arrest and denial of bail to Das and urged the Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities.

Officials said Das was escorted to the court amid tight security on Tuesday as a number of his supporters, including lawyers, chanted religious slogans protesting his arrest. Witnesses said Das greeted his supporters gathered at the court premises with folded hands.

The protesters were chanting slogans, including 'Jai Sree Ram', 'We wanted our rights but got prison instead'.

Protests then broke out demanding Das' release in different districts, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Khulna, Dinajpur and Cox's Bazar, local news agencies reported.

Doordarshan India reports sound grenades were deployed against protestors.

With agency inputs