Photo: Collected
A Chattogram court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of ISKCON Chattogram divisional organizing secretary and principal of Pundarik Dham temple Chandan Kumar Dhar alias Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case.
The court of Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam passed the order on Thursday, Chattogram metropolitan public prosecutor Md Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan confirmed the matter to The Daily Messenger.
The lawyer said the court rejected the bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari after hearing both sides. The state opposed the bail petition as it was a non-bailable clause. On the other hand, the accused can seek bail in the high court if they want.
Meanwhile, a team of 11 supreme court lawyers came to Chattogram court to hear the bail petition of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari on Thursday. Besides, security was strengthened in the court area to prevent any untoward incident centering the hearing.
A sedition case was filed on October 31 against 19 people including Chandan Kumar Dhar alias Chinmoy Krishna Das, a top official of ISKCON, on charges of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag at New Market area in Chattogram on October 25, 2024.
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 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, 2024.
Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das from Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25 in connection with the case.
On November 26, he was produced before a Chattogram court in a sedition case filed with Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram. The court rejected his bail plea and sent him to jail. On that day, Chinmoy's supporters allegedly hacked lawyer Saiful Islam Alif to death.
The bail hearing of Chinmoy Krishna Das was scheduled for December 3, 2024 but it was adjourned to January 2, 2025 as there was 'no lawyer available' for Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Messenger/Shakhawat/Tareq/SK
