A court in Bangladesh on Wednesday released on bail Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former ISKCON leader, in a sedition case that created national controversy. Das was arrested after a case was lodged against him and 18 others about a rally organized in Chittagong on October 25 last year.
The sedition charges were leveled on the basis of an incident where a saffron flag was allegedly flown above the national flag of Bangladesh at a public rally in Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram. The case was officially lodged on October 30, 2023, which evoked harsh responses from different sections.
On Tuesday, Das came to the Chittagong court, which rejected him initially and remanded him in custody. Later, amid extensive protests and demands for his release, the court overturned its previous order and allowed him bail on the following day.
Who is Chinmoy Krishna Das?
Chinmoy Krishna Das is now the representative of the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, which is an organization that fights for the rights and protection of minorities in the nation. He has remained a driving force behind reforms like the enactment of a minority protection law, a special tribunal to expedite cases of minority persecution, and a separate ministry for minority affairs.
Das received extensive publicity for organizing top-level rallies throughout Bangladesh, such as one in Chittagong on 25th October and another in Rangpur on 22nd November, both of which generated widespread socio-political debate across the country.
A Leading Voice for Minority Rights
Das is from Satkania Upazila, Chittagong. He was the Chittagong divisional secretary of ISKCON from 2016 to 2022. Famous for his early life religious activism, he gained the title ‘Shishu Bokta’ or ‘child orator’ due to his passionate speeches at a young age, according to Bangladeshi media.
His recent arrest attracted harsh criticism and universal outrage from civil society and human rights organizations, calling for his release immediately. With bail now released, the focus is on the fate of the legal proceedings that continue to unravel.
