The Voice News: court has rejected the bail petition of Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sanatani Jagaran Jote, in connection with five cases including the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chattogram. On Tuesday (June 3), Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddique issued the order after a hearing.
Earlier, Chinmoy’s lawyer, Apurba Kumar Ghosh, had filed a bail petition citing illness and the need for medical treatment.
Lawyer Apurba Kumar Ghosh stated, “Apart from a sedition case, Chinmoy Krishna Das has been implicated in five other cases, including the murder of lawyer Alif and attacks on police. He has been shown arrested in all these cases, and bail applications were submitted. After the hearing, the court rejected the bail pleas.”
Assistant Public Prosecutor of Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, Advocate Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury, said, “The defense lawyers filed bail applications in five cases lodged at Kotwali Police Station. The prosecution opposed the bail. After the hearing, the court denied the petitions.”
On October 25, 2024, Chinmoy Krishna Das led a large rally of the Sanatani (Hindu) community in Chattogram. A few days later, on October 31, a sedition case was filed against him for allegedly desecrating the national flag. Eighteen others were also named as accused in the case.
Later, on November 22, another large rally led by Chinmoy took place in Rangpur. On November 25, he was arrested in Dhaka in connection with the sedition case. The next day, when his bail application was submitted, the court rejected it and ordered that he be sent to jail. Following the court’s decision to send Chinmoy to prison, clashes broke out in Chattogram between his supporters and law enforcement officers as well as lawyers. During the clashes, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death outside the court premises. Alif’s father later filed a case at Kotwali Police Station in connection with the incident.
Chinmoy has been in jail since then.