Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das denied bail by Bangladeshi court in Chattogram

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday denied bail to Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, whose arrest last November on sedition charges triggered protests in several Indian states and emerged as an irritant in bilateral relations.

This was the second time Das’s bail petition was rejected by the court of the metropolitan sessions judge in Chattogram since his arrest on November 25. Das was charged with sedition for allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chattogram in October.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to the development. The external affairs ministry had earlier expressed concern at the arrest and denial of bail to Das, the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote, and called on Bangladeshi authorities to deal with his case in a fair and transparent manner.

The metropolitan sessions judge of Chattogram, Saiful Islam, denied bail to Das when his petition was taken up during a 30-minute hearing on Thursday. During a hearing last month, the court had deferred the matter till January 2.

Das was represented by 11 lawyers, who urged the judge to grant him bail. The prosecution opposed the bail petition and the judge rejected the application at the conclusion of the hearing, according to reports in the Bangladeshi media.

The monk’s lawyers contended he was implicated in the case through a conspiracy and is “completely innocent”. Das’s petition said 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 Das’s lawyers, told Prothom Alo newspaper after the hearing that an appeal will be filed in the high court.

Tight security arrangements were put in place for the hearing, with law enforcement allowing only lawyers and court employees to enter the court. A clash broke out within the court complex after Das was denied bail on November 26. A lawyer named Saiful Islam was beaten and hacked to death during the clash, sparking protests in Chattogram.

The court was unable to function for some time because of a strike called to protest the killing of the lawyer. Though the court was set to hear Das’s bail petition on December 3, the matter could not be taken up as none of the monk’s lawyers were present in court on that day.

Radha Raman Das, vice president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in Kolkata, asked the Bangladesh government to ensure that the monk gets justice. “It is unfortunate that his bail was rejected... The hope is that [Das’s] lawyers will be able to present their arguments and fight for his cause,” he 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.

Das’s arrest has become a fresh irritant in the strained ties between India and Bangladesh since former premier Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India last August. Following the arrest, Hindu organisations staged protests and organised rallies in several states bordering Bangladesh, including Assam, Tripura and West Bengal. A large crowd stormed the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala during one of the protests.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in November that India expects legal processes against individuals such as Das “will be dealt in a fair, just and transparent manner, ensuring full respect of their legal rights”.