New Delhi [India], January 2 : VHP National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Thursday criticised the rejection of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari's bail plea by a Bangladesh court, saying that it is a sign of a "perverted, jihadi, anti-Hindu, and also anti-Bangladesh" mentality.
Bansal alleged that the country's lower judiciary is under pressure from "jihadis" accusing the Bangladesh youth of destroying the image of Islam.
"Bangladesh has become a haven for separatists... It seems their lower judiciary is working under the pressure of Jihadis... (levelling sedition charges against Chinmoy Das) is a sign of a perverted, jihadi, anti-Hindu, and also anti-Bangladesh mentality... Bangladesh youth has destroyed the image of Islam," he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdeva said that the Bangladeshi judiciary may be acting under governmental influence or biased assumptions about Hindu minorities. He argued that the charges against Chinmoy are not severe and he deserves bail, adding that the judiciary's actions reflect an attempt to establish Islam as the "primary religion and culture" in the country.
"It seems like the Bangladesh judiciary is systematically working on the instructions of the government or the assumptions that elements of Hindu minorities and cases against them have to be dealt with in a certain way. The charges against Chinmoy are not serious. He deserves bail... It seems that the judiciary is adhering to the ideologies of a new Bangladesh where they want to make Islam the primary religion, primary culture in the country," Sachdeva told ANI.
Earlier in the day, the bail request of Chinmoy Krishna Das was turned down by Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam after about 30 minutes of hearing both parties' arguments, according to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan.
Eleven Supreme Court lawyers were set to participate in the bail hearing of Chinmoy Krishna Das.
On December 3, 2024, the Chittagong court had fixed January 2 for a bail hearing as the prosecution submitted a time petition and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy.
The unrest in Bangladesh stems from the sedition charges filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das for allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh's national flag in Chittagong on October 25. His arrest on November 25 sparked protests, culminating in violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement outside the Chattogram Court Building on November 27, which resulted in the death of a lawyer.
The situation worsened following additional arrests. According to ISKCON Kolkata, two monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, were detained on November 29 after visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das in custody. The organisation's Vice President, Radha Raman, also claimed that rioters vandalised an ISKCON centre in Bangladesh during the unrest.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also voiced concern over escalating violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh, emphasising that it has consistently raised the issue of targeted attacks on minorities with Dhaka.