May 5, 2025: A Chittagong court on Monday officially recorded the arrest of Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in four murder cases, shortly after he was granted bail by the Bangladesh High Court in a separate sedition case. This move comes amid ongoing legal and political controversy surrounding the prominent figure.
Das, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sanatani Jagran Jote and a former leader within ISKCON, had been granted bail last week by a High Court bench comprising Justice Atoar Rahman and Justice Md Ali Reza in relation to sedition charges, which included allegations of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh. His lawyers maintain that no specific evidence supports these allegations.
“Despite receiving bail, Chinmoy Krishna Das was prevented from being released when the Chittagong court showed him arrested in four separate murder cases linked to the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif,” said Ashraf Hossain Razzak, General Secretary of the Chittagong Bar Association.
The murder in question occurred on November 26, when lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was attacked with sharp weapons by unidentified assailants during a protest advocating for Das’s release. Das himself had been arrested at Dhaka Airport on November 25, 2024, a day before the incident.
His legal team has raised concerns over procedural fairness. Lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee stated that none of Das’s legal representatives were allowed to be present during the hearing in Chittagong court. “The prosecution proceeded unilaterally,” he said, calling the charges fabricated and politically motivated.
Bhattacharjee argued that despite the state’s attempts to delay or reverse the bail, the High Court had ruled in Das’s favor based on comprehensive documentation proving the absence of any seditious intent or action. “There is no sign of speech or motivation for sedition in Chinmoy Prabhu’s conduct,” he asserted, also noting the absence of a police investigation report even after seven months.
“We are hopeful that he will be released from Chittagong Central Jail within a week, once the High Court’s order reaches the local magistrate’s court,” he added. However, he also warned that the government appears to be actively seeking ways to keep Das in custody despite the legal outcomes so far.