Bangladesh: Hindu Seer Spearheading Minority Rights Campaign Taken Into Custody By Dhaka Police

Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari, spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, has been detained by Bangladesh Police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Chinmoy Krishna Brahmachari, spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha and head of Pundarik Dham in Chittagong, was taken into custody by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Monday at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The detention, which occurred at 4:30 pm, was confirmed by Additional Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mallik of the DB.  

“He was detained based on a requisition following a complaint. He will be handed over to the designated police station accordingly,” Mallik said, as quoted by Dhaka Tribune. However, he did not elaborate on the specific allegations against Chinmoy Krishna.  

The arrest comes in the wake of a sedition case filed on 30 October at Kotwali Police Station against Chinmoy and 18 others. The case, lodged under sedition laws by Md Feroze Khan, alleges the hoisting of a saffron flag associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) over Bangladesh’s national flag during a rally at Chattogram’s New Market intersection on 25 October, as per Dhaka Tribune's report.  

The rally at Laldighi Maidan, where the alleged incident occurred, was part of an advocacy campaign led by Chinmoy Krishna on behalf of Bangladesh’s Hindu community. The campaign included demands to end minority persecution in the country.  

Chinmoy Prabhu Was Supposed To Fly From Dhaka: Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha Leader

Swatantra Gauranga Das Brahmachari, a leader from the alliance, told bdnews24.com, “Chinmoy Prabhu was supposed to fly from Dhaka to Chattogram. We have heard that police picked him up from the airport.”  

A Facebook page linked to Pundarik Dham shared a photo of Chinmoy Krishna, claiming he was “picked up by individuals identifying as DB police from Dhaka airport.”  

Another post accompanying a video reads, "Chinmay Krishna Das Brahmachari has been taken to DB from Dhaka Airport in a car Ch-521161."

The prior sedition case includes 19 named individuals and 15-20 unidentified persons. Among the accused are Ajay Dutta, coordinator of the Hindu Jagran Manch in Chittagong, and Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, principal of the Prabartak Iskcon temple in the city, as per the report.  

According to the case statement, the placement of the religious flag over the national flag constituted “desecration” and “contempt for the country’s sovereignty.” It further alleges that the act was part of a “treasonous” effort to destabilise the country by fostering an anarchic environment.