In Bangladesh, Chinmoy Das, a Hindu spiritual leader and ISKCON's chief priest, has been arrested and sent to jail. Chinmoy Das was arrested on the afternoon of November 25 at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal Airport. He was then presented in court, where his bail petition was denied, and he was placed into judicial custody. As police were escorting him to jail in a van, Chinmoy Das clarified to the media, "We are not against any political party or government."
He added, "We want to urge all parties, including Islamic parties, to support our legitimate demands. We desire peaceful coexistence for all community groups. We love this country; we love Bangladesh and aspire for a united nation where all communities and religions can work together for its growth and progress."
Meanwhile, in protest of Chinmoy Das's arrest, his supporters gathered at the court premises, where police wielded batons against them. The Hindu community people were demonstrating for Chinmoy Das's release in Chittagong court. To disperse the crowd, police resorted to lathi-charge, resulting in injuries to several individuals.
Accused of National Flag Disrespect
During the tenure of Bangladesh's interim Yunus government, as violence against Hindus continued, Chinmoy Das consistently raised this issue. On October 25, a significant sit-in protest was held by the Hindu group 'Sanatan Jagaran Manch' in Dhaka's New Market. During the rally, some youths placed a saffron flag over the Bangladeshi flag. This incident during the rally became the reason for Chinmoy Das's arrest, according to the police, who claimed this was a disrespect to the national flag.
On October 30, a case was filed against Das and 19 others at Chittagong's Kotwali Police Station, accusing them of disrespecting the national flag during a rally of the Hindu community in Chittagong's New Market area.
Who is Chinmoy Das, and the Case Against Him
Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari is a prominent leader of the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Manch and the President of ISKCON Chittagong's Pundarik Dham. He is known as Chinmoy Das. He has been a strong voice against atrocities towards the Hindu community in Bangladesh. ISKCON has over 77 temples across Bangladesh, involving more than 50 thousand people with this organization. He is also a member of the Sanatan Jagaran Jote group of Bangladesh. He is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and has been a spokesperson for ISKCON.
