Thousands protest at Chattogram court premises over Chinmoy’s jail order

Thousands of people from the Sanatan or Hindu community have gathered around the prison van carrying Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari of Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, to stage protests after a court issued an order to send him to jail.

Lawyers have joined the protest near the Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday.

Although law enforcers including police and Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB, were deployed to ensure the security of the court, they were not found to be active.

The protesters took position near the court blocking the road below the court building.

The huge gathering around the prison van carrying Chinmoy includes hermits, women and children.

A large number of policemen are present at the scene surrounding the prison van and protesters.

Chinmoy’s legal counsel Swarup Kanti Nath told bdnews24.com that they filed a case with the Metropolitan Session Judge Court as the Magistrate Court’s order was not satisfactory.

Chinmoy Krishna, principal of Chattogram’s Pundarik Dham, has been advocating on behalf of the Sanatani or Hindu community across Bangladesh, raising eight demands, including an end to minority persecution.

He was arrested from Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport on Monday evening.

Protests broke out demanding his release in different districts including Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Khulna, Dinajpur and Cox's Bazar.

He was brought to the court around 10:45am on Tuesday amid tight security.

Since his bail was not granted, the lawyers sought the court's order to allow Chinmoy Krishna to perform his religious rituals while in jail.

The court ordered to follow the prison code of conduct in this regard.

Both the lawyers inside the courtroom and Hindu community members outside began to chant slogans demanding Chinmoy’s release.

Around 12:15pm, Chinmoy Krishna was taken into the prison van guarded by police, BGB, ABPN members.

It was then the Sanatan community members began to stage protests surrounding the prison van.

Their slogans included – Jai Sree Ram, We wanted our rights but got prison instead, One two three four, all of them are frauds and others. Some of them blew the conch shell.

Chinmoy Krishna addressed the gathering sitting inside the prison van.

 “We are running the movement for a rightful demand. We’re not against the state and the government. The hope of having a new state that emerged through the mass uprising on Aug 5, we, the Sanatanis, are part of it. Our movement will continue,” he said.

 “Continue your movement until the 8-point demand is fulfilled. Run the movement peacefully by translating your emotions into strengths. I hope that you people will prioritise the stability of the state. We’ll not do anything to make the country unstable or disrupt the peaceful coexistence.”

Meanwhile, the protesters chanted slogans saying ‘fake fake,’ as police and BGB tried to disperse them around 1:30pm by blowing whistles.