A Bangladeshi court on Tuesday denied bail to prominent Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, who was arrested on sedition charges.
The leader of the Hindu group Sammilita Sanatani Jote, Krishna Das, was arrested from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka while travelling to Chattogram.
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Supporters gathered outside the court complex chanting slogans. Das greeted his supporters at the court premises and asked them to refrain from chanting religious slogans at the scene.
Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Kazi Shariful Islam rejected Das’s bail petition after hearing the arguments.
The judge said since Das was arrested from outside the port city, as per law he is required to be kept under judicial custody for 24 hours.
The court later directed the prison authorities to allow the Hindu priest to practice his religious rituals as per the Jail Code.
Protesters and the police clashed outside the court when Das was taken in the prison vehicle to jail.
“We are not against the state and the government. We, the Sanatanis, are a part of the state… We will not do anything to destabilise the state and destroy peaceful coexistence. We will hold a peaceful protest by controlling our emotions and turning them into strength,” Das was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
Protests broke out in different districts including Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Khulna, Dinajpur and Cox’s Bazar.
A complaint was filed against Das and 18 others accusing them of disrespecting the national flag in the city’s Laldighi Maidan during a rally of the Hindu community on Oct 25.
Das was also a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which recently expelled him.
Amid tensions, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed “deep concern” over the arrest and denial of bail to Das. India also urged the Bangladeshi authorites to ensure safety and security of Hindus and all minorities.
“This incident follows the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh,” MEA said in a statement.
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