Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) monk and prominent minority rights advocate in Bangladesh, remains in jail after his lawyer, Ramen Roy, was brutally attacked and hospitalised in critical condition.
The attack, allegedly carried out by Islamists, has left Das without legal representation as lawyers fear further reprisals. The incident occurred at Roy’s residence, where attackers looted the premises before assaulting him, according to ISKCON India.
Hindu lawyers who previously represented Das have also faced threats and intimidation, effectively preventing any defence in his ongoing sedition case.
Das, arrested on November 25 at Dhaka International Airport, appeared in a Chattogram court on Tuesday without an attorney. The court denied his bail plea, postponing the hearing to January 2, forcing him to remain behind bars for at least a month.
Sources have alleged that Muslim lawyers from the Chittagong Bar Association have issued threats to their Hindu counterparts. On November 27, a monk from Chattogram claimed that Hindu lawyers assisting Das had their offices looted and faced direct intimidation.
Das, president of the Pundarik Dham in Chattogram and spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jot has been leading a movement advocating an eight-point agenda for minority rights.
ISKCON, which disassociated from Das in September, has condemned his detention on sedition charges, labelling it an attempt to suppress dissent.
Tensions escalated further on November 29 when two monks visiting Das in jail were detained. Das has accused authorities of targeting minority leaders and claimed the charges against him are a tactic to dismantle the movement for minority rights.
The legal battle remains in peril as fears among lawyers persist, leaving Das without defence and raising concerns over the state of minority rights in Bangladesh.
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