The arrest of a Hindu monk in Bangladesh from Shahjalal International Airport Monday afternoon has sparked protests with ISCKON and Bangaldeshi minority associations condemning the act.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, and head of Pundarik Dham in Chittagong, was arrested by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at Shahjalal International Airport on Monday at 4:30 pm.
Though the specific details of the complaint against him were not immediately disclosed by the officials, local media reports cite that he was arrested on the complaint of former BNP leader Firoze Khan on the allegation of desecration of the national flag.
The alleged incident leading to the arrest happened on October 25 during the protest led by the Hindu community in Rangpur, 300 kms north of Dhaka. Hundreds of minorities took out a march seeking stronger legal protections and setting up a ministry dedicated to minority affairs.
The Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha held a rally in Chattogram attended by Chinmay Krishna Das. Soon after the rally, a sedition case was filed against him and 18 others. The allegations were that they hoisted a saffron flag above the official flag of Bangladesh during the rally.
A video of the incident that went viral also showed a group of people with saffron headbands putting up saffron flags near a flag that was projected as Bangladesh’s national flag at Zero Point in the New Market area of Chattogram.
According to Bangladesh’s Penal Code, sedition can lead to imprisonment for up to life.
However, Chinmoy Krishna Das had denied involvement in the issue, stating he was not at the protest site when the incident happened. He added that the incident happened 2 km from the Lal Dighi protest site.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council strongly condemned and protested the arrest of Chinmay Krishna Das Brahmachari, stating his arrest could affect the country’s image in terms of freedom of speech.
ISKCON too has sought help from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, tagging him in a post. “I just received the shocking news that Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a Hindu monk & the face and leader of Bangladeshi minorities in these difficult times, has been arrested by the Dhaka police and taken to an undisclosed location. Kind attention,” Radharamn Das, ISKCON spokesperson, posted on X.
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