Is Hindu Monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Facing Murder Charges in Bangladesh?

Dhaka, May 5 (NationPress) Chinmoy Krishna Das, a notable Hindu leader and representative of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot, has been officially charged with the murder of attorney Saiful Islam Alif by a local court on Monday. Alif was reportedly murdered outside the court on November 7 last year.

During a virtual hearing, Chittagong's Metropolitan Magistrate S M Alauddin approved the police's request to arrest Das.

On Sunday, investigating officers submitted requests to the court to recognize Das's arrest in four different cases. Following the virtual hearing, the court approved the arrest concerning Alif's murder case, while hearings for the other three cases are scheduled for Tuesday, as stated by Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan, the Public Prosecutor of the Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.

Previously, on April 30, the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court intervened to stay the High Court's bail order for Das in a sedition case.

Justice Rezaul Haque of the Appellate Division issued the order after the state counsel filed an appeal shortly after the High Court had granted bail.

This stay will remain effective until a leave-to-appeal petition is filed and the full verdict is released.

The Bangladesh High Court had previously granted bail to Das, who was taken into custody on November 25 last year on sedition charges linked to allegations of disrespecting the national flag during a rally in Chittagong. His arrest triggered significant global outrage.

Chinmoy was detained in Dhaka on November 25 and remanded to jail the following day after a Chittagong court denied his bail plea. On December 11, 2024, the same court again rejected his bail.

His arrest ignited widespread protests from the Hindu community in Bangladesh, which has been experiencing political unrest since August 2024 when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted amidst violent demonstrations.

In the subsequent months, there has been a surge in attacks against the Hindu community following the collapse of Hasina's government and the establishment of an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.

India has taken a stern stance on the treatment of Hindu minorities, consistently asserting that there is a “systematic persecution of Hindu minorities” under the interim government led by Yunus.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, during his discussions with Yunus at the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

Moreover, just last month, Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a key figure in the Hindu community affiliated with the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Committee, was kidnapped from his residence and brutally killed by four assailants on April 18.