Dhaka: Five months after being arrested on sedition charge, Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das was granted bail by the Bangladesh High Court on Wednesday.
A bench comprising Justice Atoar Rahman and Justice Ali Reza announced its order after the final hearing on their previous rule.
“The two-judge bench declared absolute its earlier rule asking authorities why he should not be granted bail,” PTI quoted a High Court official as saying.
A case was registered with Chattogram’s Kotwali police station on October 31 accusing Das and 18 others of disrespecting the Bangladesh national flag.
Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25.
Das, a spokesperson for Hindu organisation Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was produced before a court, which sent him to jail the following day, rejecting his bail petition.
His arrest sparked widespread protests in Chattogram, Dhaka and other places. The protests turned violent in Chattogram, where assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death hours after Das was sent to jail.
Das’ arrest added to tensions between India and Bangladesh, three months after a mass student-led protest ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5. New Delhi expressed concern over Das’ detention and atrocities against Hindus, urging the Muhammad Yunus-headed interim government to take steps.
