Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh High Court on Wednesday (April 30) granted bail to Hindu monk, former ISKCON leader, and minority rights advocate Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, nearly six months after his arrest in a sedition case related to alleged disrespect of the national flag during a rally in Chattogram.
The bench of Justice Md Atoar Rahman and Justice Md Ali Reza passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Chinmoy’s lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, who argued for bail citing his client’s prolonged incarceration without trial and deteriorating health.
Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, formerly known as Chandan Kumar Dhar, is the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, a platform that champions the rights of the country’s religious minorities. He was arrested on November 25 laat year, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and sent to jail the following day after a Chattogram court rejected his initial bail plea.
The sedition case was filed by Firoz Khan, then general secretary of the BNP’s Mohora ward unit, at the Kotwali Police Station on October 31, accusing Chinmoy and 18 others of hoisting a saffron flag above the national flag of Bangladesh during a rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram on October 25. The act was deemed a violation of national symbols and led to serious legal consequences. Khan was later dismissed from the BNP in connection with the case.
Despite Chinmoy’s legal team asserting that “he revered the country like his mother and was not a traitor,” a Chattogram court rejected his bail plea on January 2 this year. In February, the High Court issued a ruling asking the government to explain why he should not be granted bail.
After a prolonged wait, the HC bench finally heard the bail plea again on April 23, when the defence once more highlighted Chinmoy’s poor health and the fact that he remained imprisoned without trial. The court reserved its judgment and granted bail on April 30. According to lawyer Prahlad Debnath, “He is expected to be released from jail following the HC order, unless the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stays the verdict.”
Chinmoy’s arrest triggered widespread outrage, with civil society, minority rights activists, and religious groups demanding his immediate release and denouncing the charges as politically motivated.
A native of Satkania Upazila in Chattogram, Chinmoy Krishna Das rose to prominence at an early age as a religious orator and was popularly known as ‘Shishu Bokta’ (child orator). Between 2016 and 2022, he served as the Chattogram divisional secretary of ISKCON, the Gaudiya Vaishnav organisation, before his expulsion in 2024.
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, Chinmoy has become a vocal critic of increasing attacks and discrimination against minorities, especially Hindus. He has been campaigning for legislative and structural reforms, including a Minority Protection Law, special tribunals for minority persecution cases, and the establishment of a Ministry of Minority Affairs in Bangladesh.
The incident and Chinmoy’s prolonged detention come at a time when India-Bangladesh relations remain tense, particularly over minority security issues. Less than 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million population are Hindus. Political instability following Hasina’s ouster, and India’s decision to shelter her, has drawn criticism from some factions within Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. A special tribunal has even sought Hasina’s arrest and requested her extradition from India, which remains unanswered.
India, which hosted over 10 million refugees and played a decisive role in Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, continues to view Hasina — the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman— as a close ally. Chinmoy’s bail is seen by many as a small but significant development amid ongoing political and communal tensions in Bangladesh.