B'desh: Lawyers deny to represent Chinmoy Das; bail hearing deferred till Jan 2

Dhaka : Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest from Bangladesh who was accused of sedition, encountered a major setback when lawyers declined to represent him at his bail hearing in court on Tuesday.

According to the sources, the Chattogram court postponed the bail hearing to January 2.

Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while he was en route to Chattogram to attend a rally.

He was denied bail and sent to jail last week.

Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, ISKCON claimed that Advocate Ramen Roy, who had defended Bangladesh's Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in the sedition case was brutally attacked in the neighbouring country and was now fighting for his life in a hospital.

According to ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das, Roy's only "fault" was defending Chinmoy Krishna Das in court, and a group of Islamists ransacked his home.

The attack left Roy critically injured, and he is currently in the ICU, fighting for his life, ISKCON Kolkata spokesperson claimed.

"Please pray for Advocate Ramen Roy. His only 'fault' was defending Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu in court. Islamists ransacked his home and brutally attacked him, leaving him in the ICU, fighting for his life," he posted on X, along with a picture of Roy in the ICU.

He further appealed for the safety of Bangladeshi Hindus and the immediate release of the ISKCON priest.

This comes as attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have increased under Muhammad Yunus, who was leading the interim government in the neighbouring country. However, as reports of minorities being targeted in Bangladesh surfaced, India, through multiple channels, has urged the Bangladesh government to ensure the security of minorities.

Speaking to a Bengali news channel, Das, also ISKCON Kolkata Vice-President, said, "This brutal attack on advocate Roy is a direct consequence of his legal defence of Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu. It reflects the growing danger faced by those who defend the rights of religious minorities in Bangladesh."

Hindus constituted around 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War. The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around eight per cent of the country's total population.

This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus, and sporadic violence over the years.

Earlier on Monday, demonstrators allegedly broke into the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala to protest atrocities against minorities in the neighbouring country.

The High Commission breach came after an Agartala-Kolkata bus travelling via Dhaka on Saturday reportedly faced an attack in the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh after being involved in an accident on Vishwa Road.

The events also happen amid escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh, exacerbated by rising attacks on Hindus and their places of worship in Bangladesh following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this year.

The political instability in Bangladesh has coincided with a series of mob attacks, intensifying concerns for the safety of the Hindu minority community. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry had said that the Indian government has taken the incidents of attacks on minorities seriously and communicated its concerns to Bangladesh authorities.