A Bangladeshi court once again denied bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in a sedition case, agreeing with the state’s argument that bail for him “could create anarchy.”
“Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Saiful Islam rejected the bail plea after hearing arguments from both sides for around 30 minutes,” metropolitan public prosecutor Advocate Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan told The Daily Star.
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“He faces serious charges like sedition and others involving the security and sovereignty of our country,” Bhuiyan said.
“We argued that if he gets bail, it could create anarchy as we saw in the past that he triggered violence on the court premises by calling thousands of his supporters to protest. So, we moved against his plea as we believed he could misuse his bail,” Bhuiyan added.
Chinmoy Das, who was formerly with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was arrested at the Dhaka airport in November last year. His arrest came amid attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August.
Meanwhile, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, the monk’s lawyer, said they would move the high court for bail.
At Thursday’s hearing, Das was represented by 11 legal representatives, who came from and returned to Dhaka under a protective escort.
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Previously, Das’ petition was dismissed when he lacked legal representation. Lawyers who tried to defend him during that session had alleged “threats” and “intimidation.”
The arrest of Chinmoy Das led to further tensions between Bangladesh and India, with Bangladesh already upset with India, where Sheikh Hasina has been living since her ouster. The attacks on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh, on the other hand, has triggered protests in India.
