Protest continued in Chattogram following the case against officials of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) including Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari of the organisation on charges of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag in Chattogram's New Market area on October 25 during a mass rally to press for eight specific demands.
Several thousand followers of ISKCON gathered at Cheragi hills despite barriers from the law enforcers agencies and staged demonstrations, said a protester Jewel Aich.
Hindu community under the banner “Sanatan Jagaran Mancha” organised the protest following the case and arrest of two community people. Vehicular movement at Cheragi hills and its adjacent areas were halted due to protest rally, according to a witness Rumon Bhattacharjee.
Jewel Aich said that they would go for a tough programme if the case was not withdrawn.
A sedition case was filed on October 31 against 19 people including Chandan Kumar Dhar alias Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a top official of ISKCON, on charges of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag at New Market area in Chattogram on October 25, said Kazi Md Tareq Aziz, additional deputy commissioner (public relations) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
Md Firoz Khan, general secretary of ward no 5 Mohra unit of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, filed the case with Kotwali police station. However, BNP dismissed Md Firoz Khan from his post on Friday over the issue.
The other accused in the case are Ajoy Dutta, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, Gopal Das Tipu, Dr Kathak Das, Engineer Amit Dhar, Roni Das, Rajib Das, Krishna Kumar Dutta, Jiku Chowdhury, Newton Dey, Tushar Chakraborty Rajib, Mithun Dey, Rupan Dhar, Rimon Dutta, Sukanta Das, Biswajit Gupta, Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das, according to the case statement.
The plaintiff Md Firoz Khan mentioned in the complaint that a group of youths reportedly placed a saffron-coloured flag over the Bangladeshi flag on a pillar at Zero Point at the New Market circle during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner “Sanatan Jagaran Mancha” on October 25.
However, Kotwali police detained Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das at Sadarghat area in Chattogram on October 30 evening, according to ADC (PR) Kazi Md Tareq Aziz of CMP.
End/Messenger/Sarwar/EHM
