A lawyer who had represented ex-ISKON priest Chinmoy Das on the day of his arrest, was “brutally attacked” after the hearing. Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen criticised the delay in granting bail to former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, whose lawyer was “brutally attacked” after the hearing on the day he was arrested. With no lawyer willing to represent him, Taslima Nasreen condemned the situation as evidence of “Hindu hatred” in what she called a “land of jihadists”. She added that keeping Chinmoy Das in jail was aimed at “violating his human rights and undermining Hindu awakening”.
Taking to social media platform X, Nasreen said: “There is no lawyer in Bangladesh to stand for Chinmoy Krishna Das. This sentence alone is enough to understand the Hindu hatred in the land of jihadists. Chinmoy Krishna Das’s lawyer was beaten and sent to the hospital. Measures have been taken to ensure that no one defends Chinmoy Krishna Das. The accusations against Chinmoy are all false and fabricated. The purpose of keeping Chinmoy in jail is to violate his human rights and to undermine Hindu awakening. The jihadists want to make their land free of Hindus. They are working towards their goal.” The ISKCON Kolkata alleged that Regan Acharya, a lawyer who had represented Chinmoy Das on the day of his arrest, was “brutally attacked” after the hearing. Radharamn Das, ISKCON Kolkata vice president and spokesperson, posted videos on X claiming that Acharya’s chambers were vandalised. “In this video, his name on the signboard of his chamber is visible in Bengali,” Radharamn wrote, questioning how any lawyer could represent the former ISKCON priest when they face such threats. The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das on November 25 has sparked widespread protests among his supporters, including members of the Hindu and ISKCON communities in Dhaka and India. Demonstrations in Chattogram turned violent, resulting in the death of assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif after Das was denied bail.
Das, previously affiliated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while traveling to Chattogram for a rally. He was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday. The situation has heightened tensions in Bangladesh, with heavy security deployed at the Chattogram court during the bail hearing. Das was not presented in court, prompting a protest march by a Chattogram Bar Association leader and other lawyers.
India has expressed concern over the developments, while former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticised Nobel laureate and interim government leader Muhammad Yunus over the monk’s arrest and condemned the lawyer’s killing.
