Hindu Monk Chinmoy Das Prabhu Denied Bail By Bangladeshi Court Yet Again

Dhaka: There was no relief for Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, whose bail petition was rejected by a Bangladeshi court on Thursday.

The Hindu monk was arrested on November 25 on sedition charges, for allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chattogram in October.

This was the second time that Chinmoy Prabhu’s bail plea was turned down by the court of metropolitan sessions judge in Chattogram.

After his bail plea was rejected on November 26, the court on December 2 deferred the hearing on the matter by a month till January 2, as there was no lawyer to represent him.

On Thursday, the judge Saiful Islam dismissed his plea after a 30-minute hearing.

This time, Das was represented by 11 lawyers, who argued that the monk was implicated in the case through a conspiracy and is “completely innocent”.

Chinmoy Prabhu’s petition stated that he is suffering from several ailments, including diabetes and respiratory problems, and had been arrested in a “false and fabricated” case.

Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, one of Chinmoy Prabhu’s lawyers, told Prothom Alo newspaper after the hearing that an appeal will be filed in the high court.

A clash had broken out in the court complex after Das was denied bail on November 26, and a lawyer was hacked to death, sparking protests in Chattogram.

Hence tight security arrangements were made for Thursday’s hearing, with only lawyers and court employees being allowed to enter the court.

Radha Raman Das, vice president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in Kolkata, urged the Bangladesh government to ensure that the monk gets justice.

“It is unfortunate that his bail was rejected… The hope is that his lawyers will be able to present their arguments and fight for his cause,” Radha Raman said.

“We are aware that the previous lawyers representing him had been threatened in various ways… We hope the current lawyers, who will appear before the high court, will be provided adequate security by the government,” he added.

Chinmoy Prabhu’s arrest triggered protests in states like Tripura, Assam and West Bengal, and threatened to mar bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh.

India’s External Affairs ministry earlier expressed concern at the arrest and denial of bail to Das, and asked Bangladeshi authorities to deal with the case in a fair and transparent manner.

There has been no response yet to Thursday’s development.